Earth's Last Hope
by Herald of Light
Summary: With the cyborgs all but powerless to stop Black Ghost, a single hope is found. He doesn't know what he is, even if he is human. Will he prove to be what he is looked upon for? A savior?
1. Prolouge

Herald of light:  Well, here is my first fanfic.  I hope you like it.  I based this off of a couple of dreams that I have had, and some daydreams that have come off of them.  (Maybe I should stop listening to the Cyborg 009 theme before going to bed :) )

Disclaimer:  I don't own 009, nor will/would I.

Prologue 

Date:  February 22, 2005

Location:  Avacado, Kansas

It had started as any other day.  Cold, blustery, and snowy.  Jedi, as his classmates affectionately called him was sitting in the back of the room, as one of his teachers tried to explain to him the "wonders" of the Complex Conjugate Theorem. 

Jedi was in many ways a normal kid.  He had had a very bad childhood though.  His mom had been out of her mind for the last couple of years now.  His dad was hardly ever heard from.  He was lucky only to be able to stay in his hometown due to the fact that he had such a large, caring family.   He was about 195 pounds, but could've fooled anyone into believing he was 180.  Only 6 foot 4 inches tall, and had dark hazel eyes. 

Jedi was now about ready to fall asleep in class when Mother Nature yelled her fury.  "Mr.T, can I go to the bathroom please!"  he asked, desperately trying not to embarrass himself.  "You may go, but be back soon, we have an assembly today." Mr. T replied, knowing he wasn't even heard as Jedi walked out of the classroom as fast as his legs could.

He had never been in any sport, but he was still one of the healthiest people in the school.  He had never wanted to drive, so he walked everywhere.  Being single meant that he had all the time in the world to imagine about things and pretty much do as he wished.

Reaching the bathroom with only seconds to spare, Jedi sat down and went to work.

Downstairs in the Office 

 The postman came a little early that day.  He had a single package addressed to the school.  It was odd, since there hadn't been any scheduled deliveries for another couple of days.

Little did they know that they were all about to die.

Back upstairs 

**BOOM**

"What the heck was that?"  Jedi answered to himself as he was washing his hands.  He knew that he was going to be yelled at for not getting back in time for the assembly, but hey, you don't ignore a call from Mother Nature if you know what's good for ya.

Jedi stood there silently, his dark eyes looking around as he listened to see if there would be an announcement about the noise that had just been made.

But all he could hear were gunshots.


	2. When all else fails

* * *

Herald of light: Okay, I know that you haven't seen anything related to the Cyborg 009 show yet, but I am trying to set up this story at least half way decently. I also have to apologize about the whole skipping from non paragraph mode to full para in the end, I think I will try not making paragraphs and see how things go. 

Disclaimer: Same as before, I don't own anything having to do with Cyborg 009.

* * *

Chapter 1: When all else fails……

Jedi was scared. He could hear screams coming from the auditorium where the assembly had to have been held. Jedi wanted to do something, anything, but his body just wouldn't move.

That is, until he thought about how it only takes one person to tip the scale. "If I can do something to help, maybe, just maybe things will change" he thought. Knowing that he was probably insane for doing it, he stepped quietly into the hall.

Immediately he saw two people dressed in black, both wearing ski masks and carrying some kind of assault rife with them.

Jedi pulled back. He would probably die doing this, but it would be a far cry better than living in tyranny.

He rushed from the alcove where the bathrooms were and managed to smash one of the terrorist down into the water fountain right beside him. Jedi then picked up the assault rifle and quickly pulled the trigger.

* * *

**Outside**

"Sir, we have reports of gunfire coming from the third floor." One of the officers said as the Captain of the National Guard unit watched intently.

"Those bastards have beaten back every attempt we have made to get at them!" he screamed at his unit. "What the hell is wrong with this scenario!" he started to cry.

"Sir, would you like a cup of coffee? I know your daughter is in there, but we…." A sergent tried comforting his commander, but it wouldn't work.

The last couple of months had been trying to the whole world. With the Olympics attacks back in July, and the dirty bomb explosion in Washington D.C. the day of the newly re-elected Bush's inauguration, the country had lost hope.

The world wasn't far behind.

* * *

**Back on the 3rd floor of Avocado High**

Jedi was crying. He had just killed two men. The only thing running through his head at that moment was the commandment that you shall not kill. His faith had sputtered in the last couple of years, but he had always tried to uphold those ten commands. And he had just violated the biggest of them

"AHHHHHH!"

Jedi looked up from his tears, that had been a girls voice! He picked up one of the weird looking assault rifles, and saw something that he thought looked like a grenade. "Just hope I don't get killed for trying to be a Rambo…" he thought to him self as he ran down the hallway.

Downstairs were three men, and a girl. They had taken her aside, because she was the Captain's daughter. They meant to kill her, one way……

Jedi looked in on them, he couldn't believe what was about to happen, they were just about to violate her.

This pushed Jedi into action. He opened fire and killed two of them right off. The third ducked and began firing back. It was as though Jedi didn't feel the flow of time as he walked down the stairs, every bullet missing him, as though he just could move out of their way. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he picked up the guy by the neck, and threw him down the hallway.

Turning around, he could see that the poor girl was crying, but okay. He kneeled down to her, picked up one of the guns that was laying beside the dead men, and said only two words "Point, shoot." With that he went into the auditorium.

Later on, she would tell her dad about the boy who had saved her, and how his eyes had glowed with a fire unlike anything she had ever seen.

In the auditorium were all of the school's students. Standing on stage was a man with a beard, and two others. All holding those assault rifles.

Jedi ran at them. Firing away as he did so. The two grunts went down, and Jedi ran out of ammo.

"This is it, this is how I am going to die…" Jedi began to think as the third man turned around and was just about to pull the trigger when "NO! I will not die this way!" with those words, Jedi stormed the stage, pulled the American Flag out from it's post, and ran forward with all of his might. He took bullet after bullet, but he killed his man.

* * *

**Back outside**

"We heard that there was a critical condition case." A man in black sunglasses asked one of the soldiers by the road. "Yes, he is not looking good, come quickly!" With that, the two men were allowed to load the young man from Avocado, who had saved the lives of over 400 kids, and had given his country a symbol of hope.

Pkzapped2: Well, what do you think? I know I haven't gotten to anything 009 related, but these two chapters were really meant to build up the background of he story. I promise that the next chapter will have some more Cyborg related activities to it, okay?


	3. all you have left is hope

* * *

Herald of light: Okay, here comes the good stuff (I hope you think it is good stuff).

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own Cyborg 009, nor would I want to deal with the paperwork to get it, though all the royalties would be nice…..

* * *

Chapter 2: …..all that is left is hope.

Date: March 2nd, 2005

"At the White House today, President McCain gave the Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously to the young man from Avocado, Kansas, who just days before saved his high school from the terrorist attackers, and single handedly made it possible to say that we are now winning the war on terror. Let's listen in on some of the comments made this afternoon."

The news switched to a view of the White House, where on the steps were the President, an older man, and an older woman. Both were in tears as they heard what the President said, "Ladies and gentlemen. Today, I am sad to say that that young man that deserves this medal cannot be here with us. For in the line of duty for his fellow countrymen, he stepped forward and did that which would to most people would be thought impossible. Maim, sir, I would be honored if you would take in his honor this honorary commission into the United States Navy as a Second Lieutenant, and since he is now part of the military, I would also like to give him a Congressional Medal of Honor For service above and beyond what we could ever expect him to do.

Here is a young man whom will never will get to see the light of day again, but we should not let his memory fade from our mind in these dark times. He showed us a glimmer of hope in this world. We will not let that be forgotten. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to quote part of Jedi's favorite passage from a book that has inspired so many over the many centuries of it's existence:

_For though I walk through the valley of the shadow of Death,_

_I will fear no evil, For you are with me._"

The technician looked up and cried to the security guard, "SHUT THAT CRAP OFF!!! How do you expect me to get any work done with that rabble going on and on?"

The TV was turned off, and the security guard caught himself thinking maybe he shouldn't have joined with Black Ghost. This kid deserved to be there with his family, not being torn apart and being made into something inhuman. But he wasn't paid to think, just to sit here and watch the monitors.

"Okay base, we are ready for liftoff." The pilot of the spacecraft said at t-minus 15 seconds. "Our passenger is asleep and still at a chilly -260 degrees Kelvin."

"Alright Black Luna, you are cleared for launch, you may being the main burn." Mission control had just given the go ahead for the newly acquired 0021 to be transported to the moon for further tests and upgrades.

As the time counted to zero, the engines began to spur a yellow light. Then all of a sudden, there was an explosion of orange fire, and gray smoke as the engines began to their burn to try to escape from the eternal hug of the ground. The ship started slowly to pull up, faster and faster, leaving a trail of the gray smoke behind it.

When they reached the 100-mile point, they got a call from base " Uh, Black Luna, ground radar is detecting some objects heading for you. They aren't moving fast enough to be missiles, but still, be on the lookout."

"Aye-aye base, I will be keep my eyes peeled." The astronaut said as he pulled the cover off of the little red book that had been given to him just in case this had happened.

"Power to the Auxiliary systems, on." He said to himself as he flicked some of the switches. "Computer targeting, auto. Nuclear Reactor at 98%. Speed is at 125 km/s. Radar on."

With the last switch, the Black Luna began her own radar scans of the area around her. The screen showed over forty-two blips, all heading to the moon. The astronaut was frantic, that was his destination, and he had to do something! The screen showed seven of the blips breaking off, and now heading straight for him. "Uh-oh, I am in for it now!" he said as he made adjustments so that the ships speed would be pushed to 200 km/s. The ship groaned as the engines strained.

* * *

**Aboard the F-36 space fighters**

"Unidentified plane, you are not to be within this orbit zone!" the communications man yelled as the seven fighters moved in close. The F-36 was an untested plane, supposedly capable of flying to the moon and back, and was being tested. Little did they know that they would be making history.

"Unidentified plane, you are hereby ordered to stand down, disengage your engines, and prepare to be boarded, or else we will be forced to shoot you down! This is your last warning!" He tried in vain to raise the vessel. "Sir, they either can't hear us, or they ignoring us."

"As loud as you were yelling, you had better put your money on the ignoring. Fire a shot across their bow, if they keep ignoring, shoot her down!"

* * *

**Back aboard the Black Luna**

"Aw, carp! Base this is the Black Luna, I am under attack by six, no seven unknown spacecraft. They look sort of like those F-36 you told me the United States might have been developing, but I am not quite sure." The astronaut was now scared to pieces. He had been told that this was to have been an uneventful trip. But now it looked like that was not to be.

"Black Luna, there is a red button on your right side, it will be underneath the engine shutdown button, you need to press it!" A deep voice said from the other end. When the astronaut pushed the button, he heard some clanking inside behind him from within the ship, and then a brilliant red beam shot out, and following it was the capsule that held 0021.

"Hey! That doesn't help with my problem here!" The astronaut was now throwing a fit, the engines had shut down, and life support was beginning to fail.

"It wasn't supposed to, my dear boy, it wasn't supposed to."

* * *

NEWS ARTICLE

April 15th, 2005

Washington D.C. United States

From the Associated Press: UNITED STATES ANNOUNCES ATTACK ON TERROIST BASE ON THE MOON

Today the United States declared that the organization only recently found out to be called Black Ghost was to be placed on the list of the Axis of Evil. They also went on to say that the Black Ghost had been developing super weapons on the far side of the moon. When asked how long they had been on the moon, Press Secretary Humner declined to reply. How the base had been found out, or how it had been destroyed were also not disclosed.

Scientists also announced today at the meeting the appearance of a new crater on the moon, and named it the Crater of Hope, in an attempt to show the world that things are changing, hopefully for the better.

* * *

Pkzapped2: You never know where Black Ghost will show up next, but the moon? More in the next chapter! I would appreciate any reviews and ideas, though I think that I have enough for the next chapter before I have to do any major brainstorming.


	4. Time has no gain on those who are right…

Herald of light:  Okay kiddies, thanks for putting up with the story building, I got a very positive review, so thank you! I will try to write on this for some more today, but I am definitely going to have to brainstorm soon.

Chapter 3:  Time has no gain on those who are right….

Date:  June 1, 2055

Location: Crater of Hope, United Nations Zone B

The men were slowly making their way around the edge of the crater.  It had formed the perfect way to house a colony.  They were making sure now that there weren't any impurities in the lunar soil that would make people sick.  This could be the first site of Terran colonization outside of earth, and no one wanted to screw it up.

"Hey Mike, I have something here on the sonar.  Could you run over it with the MAD (Magnetic Anomaly Detector)?"  One of the men asked.  Without a word the other one began his testing, what he saw on his screen at first made him think the machine was malfunctioning, so he ran the scan again. 

"Uh, Boris, you are not going to believe this." Mike replied, sending the image over the wireless network that was between the two men.  "Your right, I don't.  Let's go check this out."

When they reached the bottom of the crater, they pinpointed the position of the anomaly, and then began to dig.  "Okay Boris, were going to have go in from without the drills." Mike said as he got out his small shovel and slowly began to dig **Clink** **Clink**  "Hey I just hit it."  Mike said.

"Oh my God."  Was all Boris could say as he looked in horror at the teenager's sleeping face from within the glass container.

From: UN Lunar Space Control, International Space Station Commander Sukai

To: Heads of State of the Security Council

Subject:  Lunar Findings

Date:  June 15, 2055

Roughly two weeks ago, we found the frozen body of the twenty-first and, thankfully, the last of the Black Ghost Cyborg Program.  He was found at the exact center of the Crater of Hope.  We are surmising that maybe he is the cause of the crater.

We are still trying to identify him, but one of the older members of the crew thought that he looked a lot like the Jedi Rilet that saved Avocado High School.  We are investigating this lead, but are unable to, due to insufficient scientific equipment aboard the station. 

We are asking the Council if the United States would consider this under their realm, since they are the deemed Fighters of Terror, and 0021 is of one of the organizations on their list.

=The Next Day=

"Hello?  Hello?  Can you hear me?  Nurse I think he is coming to!"

"Call General Redding immediately."

"Camera on, just in case something happens."

Jedi woke up to a flurry of lights right above his head.  "Oww, everything hurts so much.  Hey, who  are all of you, and why aren't I dead?"  He was extremely curious about all of this, because the last thing he remembered was when he charged, and hit with a great deal of bullets.  He felt for where the holes should be, but they weren't.  The frightened Cyborg asked again "Where am I? Who are you?"

"Don't worry son, you are okay.  I am General Redding, and son, you have the honor of having been the person to spend to most time on the moon, 50 years."  A short bald man that was dressed in a weird looking blue tunic with 3 stars arranged into a triangle on each shoulder.  On his chest was a great deal of medals.  Jedi couldn't recognize them all, but he definitely saw the Purple Heart with clusters, and the Medal of Honor.

"So I take it that something happened to me.  The government took me away, and turned me into a six million dollar man or something.  What do you want me to do, kill Castro or something?"  Jedi was pissed, he hadn't been asked to be drafted into a program just to kill.

"Son, you had better get your head on straight.  First, Castro has been dead for the better part of 20 years, and second, your government had no involvement in your being turned into what you are now."  The general was not looking happy.

"I'm sorry to come off rude, but you try waking up after you thought you had died after fifty years just to find out that you have been turned into a guinea pig for some rich man's pet project?" Jedi was trying to be reasonable, but it wasn't working.

"Look so…Jedi.  There is a lot that you don't know, let's get started on that and we will have this conversation later."  With that Redding took Jedi by the shoulder and led him out of the door.

Herald of light:  Well, that's it for a couple of hours.  I really need to get something to eat, and I have some work that needs to get done.


	5. …But the right never gain time

Herald of light: Well, still in the character building chapters, but I am starting to come along. I don't know about one thing though. Are the little news clips/ memos annoying anyone? Or do they help you in any way?

I also had someone ask me why I chose February 22 for the date of the first chapter, honestly, I had to check to make sure that that day was on a weekday, because I was at a total loss for a date.

Disclaimer: I don't own 009, but I do own the 0021 as Jedi character, and the Avocado, Kansas, names are mine though.

* * *

Chapter 4: ….But the right never gain time.

Date: June 17, 2055

Location: Undisclosed Location, United States Space Force Base

"How did you get all of those medals?" Jedi asked, truly curious to see as what had happened to this man that was sitting in front of him as he devoured his eggs.

"Oh. Those? Ah they came from a battle with the last of the Black Ghost some fifteen years ago. My unit was trapped inside one of their bases, which happened to be on Demos by the way. I went out and laid some Claymores out on the perimeter and blasted a hole just big enough for us to escape before the bombers came in." The general said as he began to look into space, remembering some of his friends who had made it back. " I took a piece of shrapnel in the thigh as we were boarding the ship. Only to have it put back in there while we were coming back to earth by a lone meteor." The general laughed and sighed at how time had flown.

"Wow, I never met anyone with a Medal of Honor. I played the video games when I was…..17." Jedi's voice trailed off as he remembered exactly what had occurred there. He had just talked about an ancient game to a man who wouldn't even have been born when he had "died."

"Look Jedi, you don't need to feel conscientious around me, because you also have one of these. You see, that makes us sort of like brothers. I know that it might sound weird, but I've played those games you were talking about when I was a kid. They were called classics then, now they are all but forgotten. I just turned fifty years old last February 22nd. So I know what you are talking about, for the most part." The general was trying to come across as friendly, but something in Jedi's face just didn't make it seem like he was.

"You were born the day…." Jedi stopped eating and put his fork down. "Tell me, do you know whatever happened to the girl that I rescued? Ever since I woke up, that has been buzzing through my mind. And with you now telling me that you are fifty, it just pushes my curiosity that much further."

"Ah, yes. Well, all things will come to you in due time. First though, we have to get you analyzed, and get you caught up to speed with what is going on in the world. Why don't we go see the Doc?" Redding was trying to not pile the poor guy with too much at once, but it was hard not too. The world was going to need him soon.

Jedi was allowed a few hours to himself before his debriefing was to begin. In his hand he held a single piece of plastic which displayed his capabilities.

* * *

SECURITY LEVEL: Top Secret, Your Eyes Only, Burn After Reading

SUBJECT: 0021 (a.k.a. Jedi Rilet)

FOCUS: Cybernetic Component Analysis

The subject is has the standard Black Ghost upgrades (these are bulletproof artificial skin, Breathing apparatus, hyper-sight/hearing, and super human strength in this case the estimated weight limit is about 195 tons). Some of the special abilities observed during the scans were:

---Acceleration Mode Speed of up to Mach 22.345 can be obtained, and held indefinitely. Suggests that other modes are there, but are not apparent in the blueprints, or in the scans.

---Infrared heat vision Eyes are capable of seeing behind walls using heat vision, and is capable of producing a fire laser beam of about 5.89 Mega Joules for a period of 4 seconds. Standard burst is probably around .3 seconds though.

--- Left hand houses a compressed laser pistol. Pinky and ring finger fire rapidly, while the middle and index fingers are for more compressed, accurate shots. Thumb houses sensors and auxiliary power unit for the hand. Scans indicated that there was a conduit about 3 inches in diameter throughout the middle of subject's lower arm. The purpose of this is unknown.

Other attributes: Unusual power readings were recorded when subject was exposed to a holographic simulation of the last day of human life. Power peaked when subject saved girl from being abused. The source and trigger of this power is unknown, but is surmised that subject could have some kind of natural heightened mental abilities connected to his will power, but this is only speculation.

Areas for improvement: Top speed could be adjusted with existing technology to Mach 42.3 (this being about 32, 486.4 miles per the normal hour). This is not recommended, since the subject's full potential cannot be discerned without further testing.

Right Arm as stands is mainly used for heavy lifting and hand-to-hand combat. This could be changed to include a plasma discharge unit, if time was given for adaptation of the technology from the Project.

Both Legs as stands are only used for Running in acceleration mode, and normal. Ion thrusters could be added if the problem of fuel storage could be solved.

--END ANAYLSIS—

* * *

"Wow, sounds like I am a tricked out Cyborg at that!" Jedi thought to himself as he laid the paper down and began to look at the book that lay on the floor.

"The darn thing looks like it should belong to a computer. I mean for crying out loud, it's a user's manual!" Jedi stared in disbelief at the assignment he had been given "Read your manual, and know it backwards and forwards! Tomorrow you have a big test ahead of you. We have to validate the money spent on bring you back from the moon." Redding had said.

"Jeez, what a bum rap this is, I can't read this in one night!" sighing in disbelief, he sat the book down. Then it hit him, "Acceleration mode! Doi! Okay that is on page 129."

Jedi turned to the proper page and began reading about how to operate the speedy demon within.

* * *

"Look at him George, you can barely even see him!" One of the technicians cried as all of a sudden the kid in the chamber was zipping through pages like there was no tomorrow. " The kid is smart, but is he smart enough? We lost another ship yesterday to them, you know." General Redding said as he finished the memo that had been given to him just seconds before.

"Sir, how long do you think we have? I mean, before we have to tell the world about what is going on?"

"We won't have to, they're coming tonight."

* * *

Herald of light: Well, that's it for tonight kiddies, tune in tomorrow for another exciting chapter! No really I am really starting to enjoy writing this, the ideas are just too numerous for me to put into a single story. I had to spend about an hour and a half trying to figure out what abilities to give our main character. Like I said before, please give me any input that you think needs to happen as far as the memo's news reports, etc.


	6. When all that is left is love…

Herald of light: Well this is really a short chapter. Just to whet you for the bigger things to come in the next few days :D

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't own 009. But I do wish to express my feelings if anyone should ever, without permission, use my 0021 (Jedi) character without permission, I will not be happy!

* * *

Chapter 5: When all that is left is love…

Date: June 18, 2055

Location: Normandy, France

The waves caressed the sandy shore just as he was doing to her shoulder. Light, gentle, steady, without a single hesitation in his movement. The moon shone brightly in the sky, it was just about the right time for him to make his move.

"My dear," the Frenchman said as he arranged himself onto one knee, "I would be honored if you would be with me for the rest of my life." And with that he produced a box with a diamond ring in it.

"Oh Pierre!" She said, she had been expecting this all night. Why else would he have gone to the trouble of insisting that we go to the beach at this time of the night? "I will! I will. Oh dear God I will!" She shrieked as she hugged him. They sat back down and silently watched the shore, as the waves kept easing themselves up and then back down.

"Oh look! A shooting star! Let's make a wish!" The girl shouted as she pointed to a bright streak in the sky. "And look! Another! And another!? Pierre, was there supposed to be a meteor shower tonight?"

"The news didn't say anything about it. It must be a sign from God that our marriage is meant to be." Pierre said as he thought silently about how that many meteors don't just all of a sudden appear without a good reason.

But what could it be……

* * *

Herald of light: Okay, I just had to put this chapter in before I went to bed. This set up for the rest of the story would have bugged me forever if I hadn't posted it. I am really sorry about the cliffhanger though; I guess that you will just have to cope until then.


	7. you must force yourself to move on, and ...

Herald of light: Well folks, here it is, the next chapter. I am sorry if you see some weird writing anywhere, but I wrote this chapter for a summer class, and so that should explain most of it.

Disclaimer: I don't own 009 or any of the other characters within. I do own 0021 though, and ask that the chracter not be stolen.

* * *

Chapter 6: ..you must force yourself to move on, and regain your glory.

Date: June 19, 2055

Location: Unknown

Jedi was sitting in the middle of the open prairie. It was not unlike that of his hometown. He could see the wind make its way through the yellow shoots of wheat that was going to be fed to the world soon.

"Now listen with your eyes, and see with your ears 0021." The petite blonde told him "Close your eyes and try to follow 009 as he accelerates around the area." It was 003, the Frenchwoman who, thanks to the cybernetic change-up that Black Ghost had given her, now able to live at just about the same age forever. She was the scout for the group. She had the ability to see up to a hundred miles away, and when she focused could hear even further.

Jedi sat silently and began to listen to the world around him. He could feel the sun beating down on his tanned skin. It was warm, not horribly so, but it felt good to have it back on him. The ground was wet with the dew of the morning, and could have been made into a good slide had he just pushed.

As he focused more and more on the sounds around him, he began to hear the caterpillars eating their leaves in the way that lawn mowers do. He could hear the heartbeats of the birds flying through the air, beating like little drums. That is when he heard it, a mechanical sound that didn't belong there. It sounded like someone was beating air with an eggbeater.

Jedi opened his eyes, and looked in the direction of the sound. He could see the sound waves as they reverberated off of the moss-covered rocks, and musty old oaks. One by one, the sounds began to fade as the young Cyborg focused on the sound that wasn't a part of nature.

"To the right about….300 yards. Heading is about 312, he is slightly inbound." He told 003, who checked with her own abilities.

"By Jove, I think he's got it!" she said as she pointed a small laser pistol in the direction and fired a stun shot.

* * *

"Did you have to make me look bad in front of her?" an annoyed 009 was griping. "I mean, I know that you were supposed to be new to all of this, but on the first try you not only pinpoint where I am, but you tell where I am going!? You are something unique that's all I can tell you 0021."

"Please, I don't like the numbers. Call me Jedi. Besides, it wasn't like it didn't take me a couple of minutes to read that section of my manual." Jedi was trying to be polite, but it really was failing.

"You had a manual! I wonder how they managed that one. Anyway, we aren't here to go over that. I am supposed to teach you how to use your acceleration mode. By the way my name is Joe. Now…"

"Oh that, that was the first thing I looked up. How do you think I was able to fit a decent night's sleep in among all of that reading? What you do is use your tongue.." And with that, Jedi went over the instructions on how to use the super speed that had been given to him.

" Okay. If you know it all, let's have a race, shall we? We are in the middle of the Amazon Rainforest, if you can make it to that little stream about 500 yards away before I do, you can skip straight to the agility, but if not…. 50,000 laps around the gym back at home, in normal mode!" Joe tried to test Jedi's confidence, but was rudely awakened when Jedi got down in the starting track position, and went, "See ya when I see ya. Three, Two, One!" And zipped off.

"Hey, that's not right!" Joe said as he began to zip off.

In the accelerated world, the rainforest looked more like it belonged in a museum exhibit than in nature. Birds were in mid-flight, but without strings. Monkeys were caught in mid song, holding the same note, but without producing a sound. This was the first time that Jedi had had the time to actually notice what happened when he accelerated. But now wasn't the time for that, he had a race to win.

Joe was slower in this world, but he was moving. "Must not have the same speed settings as I do. Oh well, all that much easier for me." Jedi thought as he began to run to the tree.

The tree that Joe had pointed to was surrounded on all sides by a beautiful stream. The crystal blue waters were wiggling their way worrying not what they took with them. Branches spreading to the heavens the tree poked its way out and beyond the canopy of the rainforest to the world beyond.

Jedi reached the tree first, and looked back just to see Joe finish the course. "Wow, you really do know how to use it, but is your agility as good as your speed?"

"I suppose so, I don't know. That was really the first time I was able to do any running since I was unfrozen." Jedi remarked as he began to think of the rock-like book that had told him most of his abilities, and how to use them.

"Well, I'll have to take you to the obstacle course sometime, but first you have to learn how to breathe underwater with 008, err, I mean…" Joe trailed off as the holographic projection of the rainforest began to disappear. The birds fell to the ground and then in a burst of white static, were gone.

Then the sirens went off. Loud buzzing noisemakers that you would have heard nowhere else except in a nuclear blast. These were accompanied by red flashing lights, appearing out of nowhere like the sun on a summer's day. A booming voice came over as though he were God over this little corner of the country.

"General quarters, general quarters. This is not a drill. I repeat this is not a drill. Cyborgs report to the General's office immediately. I say again…"

* * *

Herald of light: So the excitement begins hehehehehehehehehehehhehe.


	8. by giving yourself to that which you lov...

Okay, I finally have enough time to write another chapter or two! Yay!!! Well, I know it has taken a while, but I hope that the real action and drama will kick in soon. I have so many ideas to take this, so it is hard to choose a single path for the story to take. I am also trying to limit chapters somewhat (lengthwise, but not in content), but I will have to apologize if I get carried away from now on out through the rest of the story.

* * *

Chapter 7: …by giving yourself to that which you love the most.

Date: June 19, 2055, Minutes after the General Quarters was announced

Location: General Redding's Meeting Room

"Sorry to interrupt your training Jedi, but we just have had some things develop. Please sit down so we can begin." Redding was serious. Something was worrying him greatly, but like how you can tell it's going to rain when you don't have a cloud in the sky, Jedi couldn't tell why.

Jedi sat down in between two guys; one had a large nose and orange hair that reached back as though stuck perpetually in the wind. The other had an onion for a head, with the glare to prove it. "I'm 007, GB you can call me, and my compatriot in arms on your other side is 002." The human onion spoke up. "Jet, but don't get in my way, otherwise you might not like it." The Speedy Gonzales wannabe spoke defiantly.

"Okay boys, I know that you want to get to know the new guy, but we have more important things to get to. Now in front of you…" The general stopped a second to allow the holographic image to be brought up. " ..is the most recent picture of the area around Normandy in France. Notice that there are little potholes every couple of hundred yards. Now here is a picture of Moscow. Notice the same potholes. Now Washington D.C., and finally, New York City, right on top of the United Nations building.

What you see in all of them is the evidence of the invasion that we have feared would be the result of all of our exploration. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Dortde."

The hologram changed to an image of an absolutely appalling figure. It had three eyes, two on a light bulb shaped head, and the third on an antenna off of the top of its head. There were two legs, and its skin was a sickening mix of brown and red.

"Three days ago, one of our ships intercepted a message from them. It was sent on all frequencies, and was extremely powerful. Evidently, it was meant to be broadcast to everyone on the planet. Computer, play the message if you would please."

A 3-d picture of a Dortde replaced the silhouette of the general. It began to speak,

--------

"Citizens of Earth, this message is intended to warn you that we are coming. You are the next in a long line of worlds to be conquered by the glorious Dortde Empire. We warn you so that you will be able to prepare a suitable welcome for us. We will be your rulers, and you have no weapon that can stop us. Thanks to your own people, we received messages telling us that the pathetic things you call weapons would never be able to harm us by the ones you call, Black Ghost.

HUMANS! You have three of your solar settings to prepare for us, we will be entering your system then, and advance forces will have landed on your planet. Do not try to resist, for we will stand on your corpses and take your world for our own, and not allow a single inhabitant of Earth to live!"

--------

The lights faded back up as the general stepped forward. "We had to be careful with the message, we traced it back, and it came in the general direction of the Beta Centari system. The analysts were still going over the message to make sure that it wasn't another prank by some pimple faced 16-year old, when we saw the pictures that I just showed you. Team; minus you Jedi, the world needs your help. Now you don't have to help, but if you do, the American, no the World's peoples will be thankless to you."

Jedi was astonished as one by one they stood up and all agreed to help. Jedi stood only to be looked at with disdain. "Why can't I help? I am a Cyborg too."

"Yes you are, but they all have international commissions in the Space Force, you are still a civilian." The general explained as he began to shuffle papers.

"BULLSHIT! You told me that I won the Medal of Honor! To win that you have to have been in a branch of the United States Military. Now tell me, if I am not in the military, and I am still a civilian, how then, did I receive that honor? Look, it isn't that I am scared, it isn't that I am suffering from any ill thoughts, all I want to do is help my country! MY PEOPLE FOR CHRIST'S SAKE! All I want to do is serve them! They are all I have left; everyone I knew and loved has or is about to parish. What good would it do them if I appeared after being "dead" to them for the last half-century! Can you answer me that? What does that leave me to do? That only leaves me with one purpose in life, to protect. I don't see why I can't help!"

"Son, you just passed the test. Come on. Oh, and by the way, you were in the Navy, which is now the Space Force, so Lieutenant, you answer to me as sir." Redding said with a grin as he walked with the other 00 Cyborgs out the doors.

* * *

Associated Press International Headline: MYSTERIOUS CREATURES LURK IN AND AROUND MAJOR CITIES

Date: June 20, 2055. 1:55 AM EST

Location: Major Cities Around the World

There have been numerous reports of exchanges of fire between mysterious creatures, which some are calling aliens, and local polices around the world. Citizens in these cities are fleeing as these reports spread. Without much to go on, the United Nations declared that it would help as much as it could, but that member nations were pretty much to 'do as they see fit to these menaces.'

As the reports come in, it is easy to see that there is no hope. Some of the world's best Special Forces groups are being beaten back, taking heavy losses, and not hitting anything they shoot at.

The United States also declared today that it will be closing the boarders, and will not allow anyone to enter illegally, and they will be shot on sight if found crossing. According to the President today in his speech to the Nation, "We hate to do this, but right now, the United States is not ready in any way shape or form to take on any more people. We have a hard enough time keeping the 1 billion people we have now fed. I am sorry."

All this reporter has to ask is, where has the light of the world gone as we enter this darkest night?

* * *

He he so the fun begins…….


	9. The darkness within rises

Chapter 8: The darkness within rises..  
  
Location: Supply Room  
  
"Hey general, uh, sir, I have a question, that is, if I can ask it." Jedi reluctantly spoke as he followed the general through the doors into the huge room beyond.  
  
"Shoot. I was really only giving you crap when I said you needed to call me sir, look Jedi, you don't really need to call me general even. My mommy used to call me Tracy. Why? Because I read too many of the old Dick Tracy comic books, and I kept bugging her for one of the watches with one of the little radios in it. When I got it, I went around everywhere, thinking there was a crime going on. One day I found it, literally. A guy was being mugged, so I called it in, only to be overheard, and thrashed to within an inch of my life. After that, I didn't go outside, I didn't play. All I did was go to school, go home, eat, and sleep. After I graduated, I joined the Space Force. I got the nickname Ole Red there, but enough of that. Simply put, you call me Red from now on. Got it?"  
  
"Yes. Um, I know you just got back from nostalgia and all, but I really wanted to ask you a question about page 53 in the manual..."  
  
"Oh, you mean the page about the Emergency Procedures in case of decompression of the ship. What? Cat got your tongue?" Red asked the young man who had a look of confusion on his face.  
  
"That isn't on page 53. Page 53 concerns with something called mode B. I was wondering what that was. Here's the manual if you want to look at it." With that, Jedi produced the book out of his pack and handed it to Red. Red looked at it, flipped through it a couple of times, and asked carefully, "Where did you get this?"  
  
"It was on my desk in my room when I walked in. I thought nothing of it, and went a head and read it straight through. I don't know what you were talking about a second ago, but it wasn't in there." Jedi said as the general's face began to grow wrinkles of worry.  
  
"Son, we don't have any information on your systems. We were putting you through training with the other Cyborgs to see if maybe you would be able to learn from them, but this is nothing like what should have been in your room. This should have been a copy of the History book that most high school seniors have."  
  
"It might be time to get the old magnifying lens out again Tracy." Jedi said with a grin as they approached a door marked in stenciled letters "Supply- Weapons/Mission Specialty (Level 4)."  
  
"Okay, I want you to forget about the manual for now, I am going to take it to be analyzed. We need to get you fitted with a combat uniform, and some weapons, other than your hand. It may look nice, but we have a few things that may help you out." Red said as he tucked the book inside his coat. "Here ya go. One Cyborg special pack. Full of the goods." The clerk behind the desk said as he slammed a backpack that looked more like something that a kindergartner should have carried around. Laid beside it was an off gray uniform. It had blue trim around the cuffs, and around the neck. On the right breast was an American flag, "Good ol' Stars and Stripes" Jedi thought, with Jedi Rilet beneath it. It was awesome, it fit perfectly, but there was one problem.  
  
"Um, what rank does this stand for?" Jedi asked the clerk.  
  
"That would be Lt. Colonel, sir." The clerk said, "Is something wrong?"  
  
"No, I just thought that I was a lieutenant..." Jedi trailed off as he turned to see Red, who was true to his name, about to burst out laughing.  
  
"Can't expect to be asleep for fifty years without a change in rank can ya? Come on, we have to go, you have a flight to catch down to the surface."  
  
"DOWN TO THE WHAT?"  
  
"The surface. You know, good ole Terra Firma. Don't tell me no one told you that you had been on a space ship this whole time!"  
  
"No, they didn't."  
  
Jedi was astonished. In fifty years, man had gone from only making trips to low-orbit, to full blown space ships that stayed in space! They produced their own gravity even! As he walked along, he wondered just how much the surface had to have changed, if man was now able to live in space.  
  
"Now, when you get down there, you will meet up with the other cyborgs, and start heading for the rendezvous point with the US forces. Unfortunately, most of our forces were caught in training, so we don't have much at the normal defense points. We need your help securing the United Nations and the US government. If we lose them, we might as well call it quits. Okay, I have to stay here. We have to sortie out in an hour, to try to stop the Dortde main fleet." Red told Jedi as he gave him a small box. Inside were two medals, a Purple Heart, and the Congressional Medal of Honor. "Son, those are yours. Now I want you to hold onto these for me, and give them back to me when I get back to Earth, okay?" Red was almost crying as he took off his medals and put them inside of the box.  
  
"Departure in one minute." The pilot said over the intercom.  
  
"Thank you, sir. I will take care of them." Jedi said as the old man suddenly threw his arms around him and threw teary eyes told him not to die, and  
  
"You remind me so much of my son."  
  
Harold of light : wipes teardrop Things are heating up, so here we go! I will try to get a chapter up every so often, but no promises! 


	10. and the light of the world becomes dim

Chapter nine: and the light of the world becomes dim.  
  
Date: June 19, 2055 13:34 MST  
  
Location: United States Space Force Main Base, Formerly known as Area 51  
  
Jedi was still a little woozy from the trip down. The other cyborgs didn't look any worse for wear, so they must have done this before. "If only I had a little more time to get to know them, that way I wouldn't have to just trust that I am who I am." Jedi thought to himself as he picked up his bag and stepped out the door into the blazing summer sun.  
  
"Good afternoon sirs, Maim. I am Major Katrina Klitznova, I will be your liaison officer during your operations here on Earth." A woman in her mid- twenties with blond hair down to her shoulders. She stood at a towering 6' 6" just over three inches taller than Jedi. Speaking of whom, Jedi was at this moment not able to believe his eyes. He had never seen a girl that had been over six foot, let alone taller than him!  
  
"Hate to interrupt your thinking, but we have only so much time to get you briefed, and to the frontlines. Just a few hours ago, the message was released to the world. The immediate response was simple : Go to Hell you alien sons-a-bitches!. The United Nations declared a global emergency, and asked that all nations pitch together to help defend our home. Almost every nation that can has sent a sizable portion of it's armed forces to the United States. The President asked that the arriving forces move into defensive positions around the landing sites of the forward shock troops. We don't have much information on them, except what we can guess. Intelligence analysts tell us that the landings sites each produced three pods. Each pod could conceivably hold a company, that's one hundred people, in it. We are going to find this out soon, and ask that you would all help us in this reconnaissance mission. After we have found out the strength of these landing parties, we can alter our defenses to allow safe passage of the President to the new Strategic Command in Avocado, Kansas."  
  
"Wait! Did you just say....Avocado Kansas?" Jedi couldn't believe his ears, when he had been last awake there, Avocado had been only about 3400 in population, but for it to be considered at all for any kind of strategic value meant that it had grown.  
  
"Yes, the Dortde landed near the major cities on the coasts, but left the entire mid-section of the Continental United States untouched. Now if you would come with me, I am afraid that you won't get a chance to rest, that is unless you can sleep on a transport." Major Klitznova turned around and walked away as the cyborgs gathered their material and moved from the shuttle to a small plane.  
  
"I have a bad feeling about this. We aren't going to have a fun time with this. But it is still good to be back in the good ole USA!" Jet announced to the group as they moved along.  
  
"Jet, you aren't the only one that has that bad feeling. I am hearing some weird stuff about a hundred and twenty miles away. I don't recognize it as any kind of military vehicle." Françoise commented as she slapped Joe upside the head for staring off into space.  
  
"Oh, what? I was just thinking about how long it's been since we have all been down here together. How long has it been? Ten years?"  
  
"Yeah, at least that long. After we helped defeat the last remnants of Black Ghost, there really much use for us as a team anymore, so I guess we just drifted apart. As much as I hate saying it, getting out of the restaurant really is nice." Chang said as he tested his fire breath on GB's shoe.  
  
"OUCH!! Hey you twit! Watch where you are pointing that thing! I just had these boots shined. Bad enough that I already had to get a new uniform due to my bad eating habits." GB groaned as he patted his stomach.  
  
"When are we gong to leave, I just want to get home!" Jedi asked as the transport lifted off.  
  
"Okay folks we are on our way to Las Vegas, that's the nearest landing site. If you will excuse me, I am going to go change into something more appropriate for our encounter." Major Klitznova yelled over the roar of the engines as she went forward and pulled the curtain.  
  
------------------------------------------- Herald of light: Sorry folks about two things. One, not getting the chapters up any quicker, I have had a pretty bad last couple of weeks, and haven't had too much chance with the computer. Two, I am sorry that I haven't gotten to any kind of a battle, I felt that a little bit more story line needed to be introduced. 


	11. When your past comes back to haunt

Chapter 10: When your past comes back to haunt...  
  
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada, United States of America Date: June 19, 2055 14:55 MST  
  
"Okay in five minutes we are going to send in a three person recon team to see what the landing site is like. 003, 0021 please go on top of that casino so that you may be our lookouts. The rest of you, be on standby in case things go bad." Major Klitznova was looking in charge, even though Jedi could have pulled rank, he didn't have the experience, and well, he was still a little bewildered.  
  
As he and Francoise got into the elevator to go to the roof of the casino that was called the "Golden Sunrise", Jedi tried to sort through everything that had happened.  
  
It had only been two days. Two days since he had awakened to find himself in the future. A future where he was completely different. He was now a weapon. That was his only function, and had been treated as such. The only person that hadn't treated him that way had been General Redding. What am I supposed to do? Fight? Run? If I fight, I may die. If I don't fight though, millions may die, including those whom I.....  
  
Jedi lashed out and punched the door of the elevator as they reached the top floor, he was crying. He didn't know why, but from deep down inside all the emotions that he should have felt from being shoved around, and having to fight just popped up, and overwhelmed him.  
  
"What's wrong Jedi? If you are thinking about the past fifty years, don't. I've been through the same thing, and if you start down that path you may lose yourself. Please, for me, don't go down that path, believe me, I went through the same thing, except I didn't have to wake up to this."  
  
Jedi looked up, startled. He had forgotten about her standing there. He looked down sheepishly, he had vowed many years ago never to let his anger get the better of him, and he had just forgotten. "I'm sorry, it's just that I haven't really had any time to adjust to being in the future, being a cyborg, and the fact that my home is being threatened to be destroyed by aliens."  
  
"I understand. Here, you go stand on that side and keep a look out, and I will go over here." She motioned to the farside of the building, it was the side that offered the worst view of the landing zone. As Jedi began walking over to the site, he began to feel woozy.  
  
"Ugh. Francoise, help! I don't feel so good." Jedi said as he fell to the ground.  
  
"Jedi! Jedi! 009 can you come up here, Jedi has gone unconscious." ----------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"0021! 0021! Listen!"  
  
"Huh? Who's there?! Show yourself!" Jedi looked all around him, but all he could see was black.  
  
"0021, you will look at your master when he speaks to you!" Before him materialized a figure clad in black with a cape.  
  
"Ah! Just who are you! And I didn't know that I had girlfriend!"  
  
"You dolt! I should send the signal to destroy you know, but I won't since that would only help those despicable 00 cyborgs out. Now you listen to me, I am Black Ghost."  
  
"Black Ghost!! But Redding said that you were destroyed!"  
  
"Hah! I am never destroyed. Now you listen to me. You are right outside of one of the landing zones for the invasion fleet. Now if you can sabotage the resistance to our invasion, I'll see to it that you are given the North American continent to do with as you please. You can run it just the same as it is now, or you can use it as your personal play toy, your choice."  
  
"What if I refuse? What if I decide to defend my home and not let it be taken?"  
  
"Don't make me laugh. The Dortde have been outfitted with the best of our weaponry. And you aren't even advanced enough to be a bother for them. Do you even know how advanced you are?"  
  
"Yes. They scanned me that I had a lot of abilities." From nowhere he reproduced the plastpaper that had told him what his specialties were. He handed it to Black Ghost.  
  
"They missed one major thing. You are not a cyborg, you are an android. The only thing left to you that is human is your mind, and even then we made enhancements."  
  
"How? When I was told about what happened, it sounded like you barely got anything done before your pilot sent me to the moon."  
  
"Yes, but what you, nor anyone else would know about the little robots that were in your tube. Sure, while you were on Earth, you were given the standard cyborg package, but while on the moon, you were worked on by trillions of nanobots. For fifty years they were able work away at your flesh, turning every cell into a weapon. Sorry to say that you aren't the only person that survived."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Heh, do you remember a certain person that you saved? Well, a few months after you were taken, she tried to comit suicide because the one guy that she wanted to go to prom with her was no longer among us. We intercepted her, and she has been with us ever since. She is your equal now, and has been bent to our side. If you come with us, I will introduce you to her, and you will be able to live with her on your own continent. So what do you say?"  
  
"You never answered my question. What if I refuse?"  
  
"Well, my boy, we won't talk about that, since you wouldn't like the end of your life, now would you?"  
  
"Why you little!" Jedi raised his hand and prepared himself to fire everything at Black Ghost.  
  
Click  
  
"Hah! That won't work here, because you are in your mind. Only weapons that you have in your mind will work here."  
  
"That's it you little bastard! I have had enough of your games, I am going to put an end to you right now!" And with that Jedi looked at his arm and imagined it turning into a powerful cannon, a cannon that would fire the most volatile thing known to man, antimatter.  
  
"Try to stop this!" Jedi said as a giant ball of energy formed, holding back the antimatter. All of a sudden it let loose.  
  
"Yes, that's it, you must harness your power if you are to become evil. Good-bye! 0021, or should I say, Android 001!"  
  
------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"He's awakening." 003 called out.  
  
"Hmm, his pulse is racing, and he is sweating really bad. I say that he should stay still for a few hours." 009, who had been trained by Gilmore to recognize the cyborg vitals, and how to treat most of the common problems.  
  
"Umm, folks, we really need 003 to be watching over our recon team." Klitznova was standing over them, tapping her foot in impatience.  
  
"I'm okay, I'll help with the recon team also"  
  
"Mon Dieu! You don't even want to look." Francoise looked away in horror and threw up. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------  
  
Herald of light: So the truth comes out. 


	12. only the brave may keep their minds

Chapter 11: only the brave may keep their minds.  
  
Same day, same location.  
  
Inside the crater now lay the body of one of the recon squad members. One of the Dortde had found him, and fired their weapon at him. There was now a gaping hole in the man's abdomen, killing him.  
  
"We need to do something to help the other two members. They are cornered at the moment, and we can't afford to have them there much longer. 006, I would like for you to tunnel down there and go beneath them. 007 could you act as a decoy, or something to distract the Dortde while we pull them out? 0021, do you feel good enough to try to give them sniper support?" Major Klitznova knew that things were going down the hole fast, and she was wanting to avoid a snafu on the first encounter. Everyone agreed, but Jedi had reservations. He still couldn't get out of his mind the words of Black Ghost, telling him that he wasn't even a cyborg, which is still human to some extent, but instead was an android. A thing, no human parts at all.  
  
Jedi went over and stood with Francoise. As he did he looked down at his arm. "Funny how things go when you are forced against your will, huh?"  
  
"What? Oh, yeah. Things aren't going to be easy, but at least Black Ghost is gone, so we don't have to fight them. And at least we aren't having to hide from the countries of the world our existence either."  
  
"Black Ghost!!!! Wait a minute. When I fell unconscious, I spoke to Black Ghost. He told me that I wasn't a cyborg, but I was in fact an android. That in my pod while I was on the moon, I was worked on by nanobots. I don't want to believe it, I wanted to think of it as a daydream, but when he told me that I could rule my own continent, and then he told me that I wasn't the only one that had been worked on by nanobots for the last fifty years, I just couldn't believe that I had daydreamed."  
  
"Jedi, you need to report that as soon as we get back to safety, Ok? If true, then you will prove that we could have prevented a lot of things. But do you think that you could go ahead and still snipe off a couple of the Dortde? They are really laying it down on those poor soldiers."  
  
"Oh, yeah. Now. Let's see what I can see." Jedi began to aim. He closed one eye, and there appeareared a set of crosshairs. And in his head a voice said, "Targeting. Target Locked on. Ready to fire."  
  
"Huh? Who's there?" Jedi didn't have time to mess with anything else; he had to help with some cover fire. He began firing. One down, two, three. They fell like flies as he continued firing with his index finger.  
  
" I am your Battle Energized Total Harmonizer. But you can call me Beth. Since you did not have time for proper training, I was installed into your digital mind to help you keep all of your systems in check. Think of me as your Heads Up Display like on the old F-22's in your day."  
  
More and more things that I can't handle right now. Jedi thought as he continued fire.  
  
"Warning, incoming fire. Disrupter type. Potential damage risk is mild. Enemy has target lock."  
  
"Oh shit, that can never be good. Francoise, we have to abandon this post!" Jedi looked over to Francoise to find her trying to fight hand-to- hand with a Dortde.  
  
Without a thought, Jedi turned around and commenced firing with the machine lasers in the pinky and ring fingers. "Warning, laser overheat." flashed just to the right side of his sight. Jedi was now seriously frustrated; he wanted to bore a whole in the alien's back that was turned to him.  
  
And he did.  
  
All of a sudden, the last of the attackers was on the floor, shuddering in the last death throws. "Did I do that? How? Wait, I have heat vision/eye laser. That had to be it"  
  
"Thanks Jedi. let's get going, before any more decide to pop up here." Francoise dashed to the stairway. There was an explosion behind them. Jedi accelerated and picked up Francoise and dashed down the stairs. He decelerated just in time to see the building they had come out of collapse. 


	13. Death strikes in the dark

Chapter 12: Death strikes in the dark.  
  
Jedi looked around and saw that the troops were pulling out. Evidently they had recovered the two troopers that had been surrounded. They were all piling back into the transport. Francoise began moving in that direction, just as the other cyborgs were trying to do, but the Dortde were rapidly firing their weapons in an attempt to break the defense.  
  
"All of you get on. I'll hold them off while you climb aboard." Jedi heard himself shout. "BETH, status."  
  
"Main energy cell is at 87%. Backup power cells are full. Main weapons are okay. Laser hand heat is at 45%, be careful on your aim there. Sensors are fine. Wait a minute, speaking of sensors. INCOMING ATOMIC BOMB, YIELD IS ESTIMATED TO BE 10 KILOTONS!!! Jedi! Get them off of that transport. That is the intended ground zero! There is no chance of destroying it, it has some kind of shield around that none of the available weapons on board could penetrate."  
  
"Everyone, off the.." Jedi was interrupted by a sudden urge to take cover. He did so just as the weapons struck. There had been no time for the acceleration mode to kick in, so he couldn't have used it. "God dam..."  
  
BOOM  
  
The explosion buffeted his skin and he could feel it burning off. He felt terrible pain, but he was still alive. Over all of this, BETH tried to give him a status report.  
  
"Main power is gone. Backups are at 10%. Sensors gone, weapons offline. Accelerators offline. Nanobot repair crews have been dispatched. Top priority has been declared as main power. This will take roughly 10 minutes. Sensors will be next..."  
  
"BETH! Please, just handle things! I can't handle it right now. Don't you get what just happened!? The other cyborgs, along with some of the best the US Military have just blown up! If you could just go into the background for fifteen minutes, maybe I will be able to talk then, Okay?"  
  
"Yes, sir. I have been meaning to ask you something, though. I am supposed to be only activated when you are under attack, or are attacking something. But can I stay activated all the time?"  
  
"Let me think about it, but for now, yes, you may stay online." Jedi just wasn't able cope with it. What was he supposed to do? It was obvious to him now that the enemy wouldn't stop at anything to destroy those that opposed them. They were going to take the planet, even if they had to reduce it to an atomic pit in doing so. It was beyond him how anyone would logically use a nuclear weapon. But as time passed, it began to make sense. If Black Ghost was with the Dortde, then he must be helping them with tactics and equipment. The girl might be with them, helping them out. Or , as much as he hated thinking it. She could have been the one that fired that weapon. Destroying any chance of Earth's original inhabitants of staying on their planet. What was he supposed to do? BETH had just told him that he was on backup power, and that was a small amount. he doubted that he could go anywhere, let alone back to the base. If it was still there. But hadn't BETH told him something about repairs? His brain was awash with new hope. Maybe there was something he could do then. That is, if he didn't get found and destroyed by the Dortde first.  
  
"Jedi, it has been 15 minutes, main power has been restored, and sensors are at 50%, you can open your eyes now, and even move around, but I am afraid that it may take a couple of hours to get the weapons online, so for now I think you are stuck to hand-to-hand combat. Unless you have anything in your pack that you could use."  
  
Jedi opened his eyes. He reached below him for his pack feeling every inch of his skin. "What a minute, that was all burned off in the blast! How can I have main power? I remember! Nanobot repair crews. I must still have nanobots inside of me!"  
  
"That's correct. The nanobots are meant to be used only in the situations when extreme damage is occurring. Like in a nuclear blast. Your skin was burned off, but the nanobots repaired it. Your skin is actually part of the main power drives." A small face appeared in the lower left corner of his vision. "But at least you survived. And you don't have any mental affects."  
  
"Yeah, I survived. But what about the other cyborgs? They are gone for sure, I would bet money on that. If I could barely survive that blast what would make you think that they could."  
  
"Actually, I am detecting a cybernetic signature, I'm not sure if it is one of them, but without full sensors, and the interference caused by the radiation, I can't tell anything else. It's at the ground zero point, if you want to go take a look."  
  
Jedi couldn't believe it. Something had survived? How the hell could it? He was the most sophisticated cyborg, no android,- there had been, had he had nearly been torn apart by it. Jedi new that he had to go take a look, weapons or no. Opening his eyes, he began focusing on the ruins nearby. There was a crater to his left, where the transport had been. As he walked over there, BETH began chiming off information.  
  
"Looks like they targeted this spot directly, but I don't know how they got such good coordinates. But from the radioactivity of the area, it looks like the bomb didn't go to critical mass. Why, I don't know. Still, the explosion was massive, there really couldn't have been much that survived. Okay, looks like the signature is coming from your left at about 23 yards."  
  
"BETH,. I can see their heartbeat, let me just take care of this. Oh, by the way, divide the repairs between the accelerators, and the single-shot rifle lasers, okay?"  
  
"Yes, can do. Estimated time of repair of the accelerators is 4 minutes, but there is no way to get even one of the single shooters up for another 30 minutes."  
  
"Okay, just keep things cool, and scan in the background for any kind of a radio transmission. Look for any kind of news, since I don't have anyone with me that knows how to use this stuff in the pack, I am going to have to rely on you." Jedi stopped suddenly. Ahead of him was a girl. She was nude.  
  
"Hello, 0021, or should I say, the soon-to-be dead Android 001!"  
  
------------------- BETH Radio Tuning: Short-wave frequency 5.5 St. Louis, United States  
  
Recording for later listening and alert  
  
"The cities of Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Tokyo, Berlin, Moscow, Paris, and New Delhi are now lying in ruins at the hands of the Dortde. According to wire services, the cities were all bombed at the same time, but there is no considerable way for the cities to have been targeted. There were no ships in orbit, and according to NORAD, there were no missile launches anywhere on the globe.  
  
The US Space Force has also been fighting back, just as we all have. Today, the main battle force led by General Redding moved just behind the moon, and began long-range firing. Unfortunately, the attacks had little effect on the enemy vessels. They seem to have some sort of deflector shielding.  
  
Reports are also coming in now that the President, along with most of the chiefs of staff and the Vice-President were killed during a nighttime attack on Camp David. Along with them was the great deal of the members of both houses of Congress, and the Chief Justices.  
  
Ladies and gentle men, I have to be frank. It is the view of this reporter that the people of Earth are now destined to be destroyed. I know that is a hard pill to swallow, but that doesn't mean that we are going to give up hope. Please, everyone, keep fighting. Make the Dortde pay for our homes with their blood. Please, make them pay...."  
  
Transmission lost -------------------------------- 


	14. And the past comes back to strike!

Chapter 13: And the past comes back to strike!!

"What? Who are you? And, er, um, don't you think we should get some clothes on before we do anything else?"

"Ah, yes, I forgot that when I fire that weapon that it incinerates all clothing on me. Just a second. As for who I am, I am your better, Android 002!!" The girl turned around and clothes began to form on her. Jedi was wondering how she was doing it; when he began to feel his Space Force uniform materialize on him. Must be the nanobots, Jedi thought. They were amazing in my time, but these seem beyond even what I saw on Star Trek.

He was brought out of his stupor by a warning from BETH "She's coming to attack. I will try to regulate all of the repairs and power distributions, you just focus on battling." Jedi took note of that as he dodged the fist. Her weapons must also be offline. Well, at least that puts us pretty even. He continued to dodge, but he couldn't hit a girl, that had always been his number one rule. What was he supposed to do? Dodge until someone else came and helped him? No, he couldn't do that. She was just like him. She was only a girl in body, but it was obvious that her mind had been twisted.

He began to analyze her fighting style. Uppercut, followed by a power right, and a swift left kick. Well, at least that's something in my favor; she isn't coordinating on any one spot. Damage would be distributed. Looks like she is dependent on the right leg. That would have to be his target.

"Why don't you fight back? Are you that much of a coward? Hah! Why Black Ghost told me that you would be worth fighting, I won't know!"

Jedi gave her his answer. He dropped down, and delivered a power blow to her right knee. Another, and another. He kept focusing on the knee. He was able to deliver five quick blows before she was able to punch him and make him fall backwards.

"Hmm, you were just figuring out a strategy I see. I applaud you; you had fooled me into thinking that you were a coward. A person who wouldn't hit a poor woman like me."

"No women would be so insane as to try to kill without a purpose. You are going to try to destroy me, so that you may destroy all of mankind. That purpose just won't be good enough, that is only a stupid though, seeing as how you were a human once yourself. I should remember, I saved you those fifty years ago. That is what it is to be a part of the human race, that should be your purpose, to help others!"

"Up until now, I had forgotten that, but now all I have left is your death warrant. That is all that I want from you, your head!" She held out her right hand, and a ball of energy began to form.

Her weapons weren't offline, she was just holding back. What could he do, the accelerators wouldn't be online for a few seconds, and from the looks of it, there wouldn't be any chance of his getting her to avoid attacking him before he could run. That was the only choice left to him, he had to run. Without his lasers, he wouldn't be much of a challenge to this girl. She had the most aces in her hand, and that wasn't good for him.

"BETH! Status!" Instead of her reassuring voice, a small text box appeared in the bottom of his vision stating that the accelerators were at 92%, and that he was now able to go. Single shot rifle 1 was at 25%, enough to fire one shot."

One shot, that was something that could help, if he could just get in close, and take out one of her legs, it would be impossible for her to follow him. She would grow it back, seeing as how if she was also an android, she would probably also have the nanobots to help her.

" I see in your eyes that you are contemplating escape, well, unless you have some kind of trick up your sleeve, you won't be able to, I am even faster than you, and you but a mere flea on the face of the earth compared to me." The ball of energy was growing, it was now the size of a basketball, and she now put her hands forward. "Let me show you the attack that killed those pathetic cyborgs!" The pure energy now erupted from her hands, and began moving quickly towards where Jedi had been. "Where'd he go?" She began to scan the area, looking for him. All of a sudden her leg disappeared from view. "AH!!!!!! THAT SON OF A BITCH HE SHOT MY LEG OFF!!!!!!!!" She fell down and writhed in pain as Jedi began to speed off towards the base, towards the only spot he thought could be safe.

-------------------------------------------------------

"Sir, 0021 is requesting entrance into the base. He says that the others were destroyed by a...an enemy android sir. He also asks that he be examined fully, since he took heavy damage from the blast that took them out, and to see if he is also an android."

General Redding nodded quietly. He was back from the fleet. Well, he had had to return to Earth in an escape pod. The United States Space Force was all but destroyed. All they had managed to do was destroy a few ships. They had managed though to delay their arrival buy planting antimatter mines all along their course to Earth. But that wouldn't hold them forever. He began walking to the medical center. That would be where Jedi would be. He had to ask him what he thought he should do. Redding trusted him. He looked so much like his own son, it wasn't even funny.

"Jedi, good to see that you are still alive. At least something came out of this mess that we call a resistance."

"Tracy, er, I mean General sir, er, ah, I am so confused. I have so much that I need to take care of. Repairs to myself, warnings to everyone. Catch-up on the news. Might as we start with that now. BETH, find anything?" Jedi stood there for a second, listening to the radio recording from St. Louis. The world was falling apart. Slowly, but surely. The Dortde main fleet wouldn't have to fire a shot when they arrived. they would just have to walk in, and set up to their government. The blast that had destroyed the transport had come from 002. If she really was as powerful as she was, then she could have caused the blasts in the other cities.

"Who is this BETH? And where do you get the idea that you are an android?" Redding had a lot of questions for Jedi, but he knew that he must be exhausted and walked him into the medical bay, where they began their debriefing.

--------------------------------------------------

Herald of light: The cyborgs destroyed. Jedi in no way ready for a fight. The Space Force on its last legs. A new android prepared to kill with no mercy. The world's cities under the threat of nuclear holocaust. Will the world survive?

On a lighter side. I am going to start posting in sets, it makes it easier for me to upload.


	15. A candle is lit

Chapter 14: A candle is lit.

Date June 24, 2055, 0315 MST

Jedi couldn't sleep. BETH had told him repeatedly the last few days that even though his body was limitless on power, his psyche wouldn't last forever. But he couldn't keep from his mind the battle with 002. He was in no way ready for that again. He would be outweaponed, outstrengthed, and maybe even outmaneuvered. There was no way he could defeat her, not the way he was, and there was no way that he could be improved. The way he was now was the way he was going to be forever.

"That's not true. Additional weapons can be added. That is the purpose of only installing weapons in the left arm. The other limbs can be reconstructed into just about anything you wish. I thought about sending the nanobots to begin the construction on some ideas to counteract 002's abilities, but I didn't think that it would be right just to pop out and tell you that you have additional abilities." BETH appeared before him. She had taken on the form of a woman to comfort Jedi these last few days. The world had been hit so hard, that even the strongest of people were now being broken down. Morale was at a low throughout the base. There were now only about 30 million people left on the planet. That was down dramatically from the 15 billion just a week before.

"Really. Hmm, I am going to have to keep that in mind. I don't know about what we can do about 002 for now. Redding is supposed to tell me about the positioning of the Dortde fleet in orbit. Maybe there will be someway for me to get up there and take away their artillery. Besides, I don't even know what kind of weapon that 002 was trying to kill me with."

"It was an antimatter beam. Not very logical when it comes to the power drain it causes, but very effective as you saw. As you know any matter that comes into contact with antimatter instantly causes an explosion as part of Einstein's E=Mc squared. Where all of the energy is...."

"I took physics BETH, I know about Einstein and his theories. Do you think it would be possible to create a weapon that would be effective using antimatter? Maybe not as much as 002, but more focused, more productive."

"Quite possible. I will start the nanobots to see if they can come up with anything. Now why don't you get some rest."

"One last thing. How did the nanobots figure out everything? I mean they were there on the moon with only my body and that capsule for fifty years. There was no outside interaction, so how did they figure out what to do?"

"Simple, I was there the whole time. I got you ready for battle. The biggest accomplishment was making the accelerators able to go as fast as they could. We were beginning to look into some kind of space flight mechanism when you were found, so we all shut down and looked dumb for the first sensor sweeps of you."

"Oh... so that....is how...." Jedi drifted to sleep. BETH began to think to herself.

This guy really is something. Here I am stuck in his head, and he treats me as an equal, not the prisoner that I really am. It's sad what they really wanted to do to him. Thankfully for the people of the Earth, the moon got in the capsule's path. Otherwise, there would be no people left on this planet right now. They would have been killed by both Androids 001, and 002. Well, I had better get started on those weapons. I want it ready for when he wakes up.

-------------------

Ten hours later

--------------------

"Jedi! Jedi! Are you in there? The General wants you in the main lounge. Sir?" A young woman with captain's bars on either side of her neck opened the door, hoping to see that Jedi had stepped out, and that she wasn't barging in on someone asleep. Well, what she found was surprising.

In the middle of the room sat Jedi. And the rest of the room was bare. There hadn't been much in there to begin with; a bed, a small computer, and some pictures, but even now all of those were gone. Jedi was still asleep.

"Sir. General Redding wants to see you." She kneeled down and began to shake Jedi. No response. Seeing as how the briefing was important, she took the initiative. She brought back a leg and threw it forward, the blow landing on the one spot that will wake up any man. "WAKE UP!"

Clink

"Huh? Oh, Captain. Nice to see you, did I wander off somewhere, or am I still in my room?"

"Sir, I have been trying to get you up for the last five minutes. General Redding is wanting to talk to you in the main lounge."

"Oh, well I had better get up and get going, huh?" He remarked with a grin on his face as he stood up. "Besides, I have to tell him about the young captain that just barged into my room, and tried in vain to kick me." He sat there for an instant, and then looked down at himself. "Um, hate to ask you this, but can you turn around a second while I get some clothes on?"

When she turned back around, where there had stood the well-sculpted naked body of Col. Rilet now stood with him in full uniform.

----------------------------

"You wanted to see me?" Jedi sat across from the older man in the front corner of the lounge.

"Yes Jedi. I want to ask you something. How do you feel about going into space all on your own, and taking out the main ship?"

"I had thought about doing it on my own. Why they haven't taken out this base already is beyond me. The Dortde have pretty much taken everything in the world. The only humans left on Earth are those left in Kansas, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Southern Nevada. Even then, whenever we try to mount a counterassault, they use their space ships to take them apart. Besides, I doubt that I could do it. You said yourself that every ship in the Space Force was used and destroyed in Project Lunar. I don't have any way to get up there on my own, well, not yet anyway. Me and BETH are cooking a few surprises for the next time I meet 002."

"Yes, very true. All of what you said is very true. What's unfortunate is that Avocado, our provisional government place, is now practically on the front lines. Wait. You said that BETH and you were cooking something. What is it?"

"Let's just say, that when 002 shows her face around, she'll be greeted with a bang. The same goes for the Dortde should they try anything stupid."

"Hmm, be careful with your cockiness, there is no room for it now. Anyway I think that you will be impressed with what we have in store. Here at this base we have a special ship. Only carries one person. I want that person to be you. It will take you up, where you will have to get to the enemy ship on your own, and bring you back. All while it is not visible to the enemy! I want you to take out the lead ship. The ship where all of the others are controlled. If we strike there, then you hit a few other key ships. We can mount a final assault with our other secret weapon. Hidden on the moon are several thousand old-fashioned ICBM's. But with a major twist, the warheads are zero-point singularities. Instantly destroying their target, getting past their shields and all. Jedi, you don't have to accept this, but if you do, we can get rid of every Dortde in orbit. Giving us equal opportunity on the ground."

"You've got to be kidding me. All this time you were able to fire on those ships, but you didn't?"

"No. We can't fire on those ships for two reasons. One, we can't get any kind of signal out through all of the radio clutter that is jamming the frequencies from the lead ship. Two, and sadly this is the worst of all. Their ships are equal to us in firepower, and so are their ground troops, but their ship shielding is something that we have never seen. It takes the energy we put out, and recycles it. Truly amazing. The only way we were able to destroy the few ships was to overpower their shielding by self-destructing our ships. It was really sad that battle."

"General, I think that if that is the only way we can try it. I trust you. I will try to begin looking into some way of getting past their shielding. Did you manage to get any kind of readings on what those shields were made of? Any kind of advanced sensor readings of their ships? Anything could help. I would also like someone who can understand all of the mumbo jumbo that all I just asked about. I was taking calculus and Advanced Physics when I was in high school, but that was fifty years ago. I am betting that what was thought of as theory back then has been fact for a long time here."

"Jedi, you are either the bravest person I have ever seen, or you are just plain stupid. Oh! By the way, I got the results from your scans when you got back. It does appear that there are no organic parts to you. In that sense, you are an android. But let me tell you this, you have shown me to be more man than anyone here. "

That was the conversation that was heard over the loudspeakers of the base. From all parts, people began to cheer. They now were hopeful. Messages telling of what was to happen were sent to all parts of the remaining free world. Back in Jedi's room, the young captain showed up with a candle and a match. "Sir, I read in your file that yesterday was your birthday, but you were resting and no one wanted to disturb you, so here. Happy Birthday!"

Jedi grinned as the candle was lit. He enjoyed having someone treat him as a person. An android doesn't have birthdays, only humans do. He was mentally tired, but he figured that it was worth being tired, if he brought happiness to even one person. But little did he know that within an hour every single person remaining out of the 30 million people were happy and celebrating.

But they weren't the only ones that were planning their final assault.


	16. Dark is the absence of light

Chapter 15: Dark is the absence of light.

That same time.

"Preparations are ready sir. We have all the remaining clusters of the human race targeted into the computer. When do you wish to commence?"

"Ah, good. It's nice to know that we can count on someone around here to get their job done." Black Ghost looked over to the freshly repaired 002.

"What does that mean? The nanobots aren't save alls you know. It wasn't like they could do anything else. They can only repair so fast. A leg takes time!" 002 looked horrified. Black Ghost did not look upon failure with a forgiving eye. She had many weapons on her, but the nanobots hadn't been activated in her pod when she was sent on her way.

"You weakling. 001's nanobots are hundreds of more times powerful than yours. Because they were left to themselves for fifty years, they became self-sentient. They are as much a part of him as he is a part of them. You wouldn't think that I would invade his mind without taking some readings on what he was, now would you? Besides, he will defeat you the next time. That I am sure. It is only because you caught him off guard that you weakened him so, and he won't be that way again. As for your nanobots, they aren't self-sentient. You control them much like a dictator would. And I applaud you for that. But because they aren't self thinking, they will not think to improve themselves. 001 has the incredible machines that he has because he didn't rule over them. Their first priority was to themselves. But this is where you have a small advantage. Your advanced weaponry allows you the single chance to take him out one on one. I will give you one more chance. We will destroy the last of the human race as we do so. The plans go into play in three days to concur with the full moon, which thanks to us will be the blood moon!"

----------------------

June 26th 1230 MST

----------------------

"General, their shields are perfect. There is no way that we can get around them." The young captain, whom Jedi had found to be named Areana Michaels.

"That is, if they aren't up when I go up there." Jedi said with a smug grin on his face. "What little information we have on their ships as they are now in orbit is that they don't have their shields up, it seemed that they were working on something, which means we can't delay. This must be put on the fast track. I will oversee everything myself if necessary..."

"General quarters, General quarters. Col. Rilet please report to the launch bay. General quarters..."

What was wrong? He wasn't supposed to launch for another 5 hours. Jedi was trying to fix the last few problems with the new weapons that he had asked BETH to get ready for him. That and he was filling himself full of food, which for him was broken down to energy for the nanobots, not that it was important, but it was an old habit, and he couldn't refuse it.

"What's wrong now?" Jedi walked into the cavrounous launch bay. It was empty except for the single ship that would take him out. He still couldn't get used to what ship they had taken and retrofitted for this mission. Somehow they had managed to get the Space Shuttle Enterprise out of the Smithsonian before the Dortde took over D.C. As much as he loved the name Enterprise, he had asked the General to rename it to Phoenix, for this ship was going to be the last hope of man, and hopefully from the fires of destruction they would survive.

"Jedi, we have some bad news. Your friend, Android 002 is back, and this time she isn't alone. As if that wasn't enough, we just finished our analysis of the odd readings we received on the Dortde ships. Evidently they are moving a ship into position over every spot where there is a human encampment of over 500. That must mean that they intend to cripple us. They are still a couple of hours away from that goal, and they have yet to put a ship over this base, which means that if we are going to launch, we have to do so quickly." Redding moved over to a large display screen that showed the southwest United States, and large red dots were shown spread out over the area, with only a few green dots in the region. "This map shows the positions of the ships over the settlements. Red dots are the ones that have the enemy breathing down their necks, while the green are safe zones."

"Sir, 002 and its accompanying army are 12 miles out, they are beginning to bombard the launch strip. Do you wish to raise the bases shields?" One of the technicians called out.

"You'd better, I am sorry to say." Redding looked depressed as the shielding around the base was raised. It would protect them from any ground forces, but it couldn't hold forever against the inevitable orbital bombardment. "Jedi, if we let those shields down long enough for us to get the Phoenix to the launch pad, there wouldn't be anything left to launch."

"Hmm. Hey! General, does the ship still have the heat shielding from the old days?" Jedi snapped his fingers as the beginnings of an idea flickered into his mind.

"Yes, I believe it does, but of what use would it be to..." As his words drifted off, he found himself getting the same idea. "Do you think that it would be possible to get the ship out there that fast?"

"I suppose it could, only one problem, I can't lift any more than 195 tons, if that ship is over that, then it's impossible."

"Then we have a problem. The ship and its bomb cargo weighs 196 tons."

"You don't need a bomb. And besides, I only think that the Phoenix will be needed for my return trip that is why I would like Captain Michaels to pilot the ship. While she is on board, I will accelerate, and push to full speed. It should be enough to escape into the lower atmosphere. When there...."

And Jedi began to explain his plan.


	17. At what price does victory become profit...

Chapter 16: At what price does victory become profit?

"All strapped in up there?" Jedi buzzed in over the radio.

"Yep. Main systems are go. Are you sure that you want to do this? I mean it's risky with the engines firing like you want them to and...."

"Don't worry about me, you just worry about getting up to your position and stay there until I reach you." Jedi turned off the local radio and went under the shuttle. In about ten seconds, the landing gear would retract, meaning that he would be the only thing keeping the Phoenix off the ground.

"002 is 6 miles out. The Dortde infantry are beginning to bombard the outer shielding, thankfully we got it up in time."

"Okay, hold the fort down. If all goes well, it will all be over in a few hours." Jedi said as the landing gears retracted, and the elevator started going up. In a few seconds, he would be outside. The Phoenix wasn't even felt by him, oddly enough. He almost forgot that he was holding it, until the sun put out before him the shadow of the ship.

"Full power acceleration mode! Target speed Mach 22.22." BETH chimed in at the correct time; the shields surrounding the base were going down just as he accelerated. Running forward, he moved outside the base's shield just n time for them to go back up. Now came the hard part, he had to outrun the pull of Earth's gravity. He hoped that he could go fast enough

His steps were becoming longer, and the pull was becoming less as he built up speed. Looking up, he saw that the heat shield on the old space shuttle was glowing with the heat that was being created at this speed, but it looked like it was holding. Only a little bit further until a jump would push him off of the planet. With the Phoenix as a mobile base, he would be able to make a great effort to distract the enemy. Hopefully he would buy enough time for them to target the ships with the ICBM's.

"Hello. Pathetic android 001." 002 appeared beside him. Her eyes were ablaze with hatred. "You shot my leg off in Vegas, let me repay you for that."

Jedi knew that he couldn't avoid this any longer, he threw the Phoenix forward "BETH, transmit engine start message to the Phoenix. Then switch to Battle mode." He had thought that this could have happened, so he had had a special radio transmitter installed on the ship, giving him the ability to start the engines on his own. Michaels would just have to hold her own for a while. Or that is, just stay put until he got there. After BETH finished, he felt the battle mode taking effect. "Shields are up, defensive plating on, cloaking device ready, main cannons on and charging, and the rapid fire and rifle lasers are on standby."

"What's this? The baby has to have some new toys, does he? Oh look at him, so cute in his little suit. Hah! How pathetic. I know that you know what my antimatter blast will do to you. Why don't you just give up and surrender to me and let me take you to Black Ghost were you can be changed into a good little boy."

"Now listen here, Julie." Jedi knew that they were equally matched, she was much faster than him, how that was managed, he didn't know, but that wasn't going to stop him from trying to break whatever spell she was under, this wasn't the girl that he knew. She had been such a nice girl. He could still remember her smile. "I have prepared myself for this battle, there is no way that I will surrender. You hear me? I will fight you until there is nothing left in me. As much as you want me to, I will not allow man to be destroyed, for I was one of them, and that means that I should defend them. I swore an oath just a few days ago to fight for the right to live, you get that? Now it is my turn to give the ultimatum. You surrender to me. You don't pull any tricks. I will put you offline, and we will get you looked at. You aren't yourself. You either do that, or I will have to...."

"Don't give me that! You know that we are the winning side here. We are the winners, you are the losers. That means that we get to do with man any way that we wish, and we have decided to destroy you. I was also human once, but I have gone beyond that. I would be an old woman by now, if it hadn't been for Black Ghost and his glorious plans with he Dortde."

"What do you mean by that. Did Black Ghost bring the Dortde, here to Earth, telling them that we were going to be easy to conquer? If that is so true, then why are there still people left after so many days? Here, let me answer that your you. We are still here because of the human sprit. You lost yours for some reason. I may be responsible for that, or maybe it was the amount of time since. But I will see to it that you find it again."

"Heh, that's enough talk, it's obvious that you won't surrender, so I might as well destroy you." She went into the form that would give her the antimatter blast. "So let me go ahead and fill you in on a little secret. You were a sign of good faith to the Dortde, well, you were to be, until that idiot pilot shot you into the moon instead. And the United States launched a preemptive strike on the moon base. So Black Ghost abducted me, turned me into a cyborg, stuck me in one of those tubes, filled it with dormant nanobots, and sent me to Alpha Centari, the home of the Dortde. For 30 years I was floating in space on my way there, unlike you, I wasn't worked on, I was just rotting in that tube. Ha! But now I get my revenge!!!" As she had been explaining, antimatter was collected and formed into a blue ball.

Jedi was in shock; he was a fluke of sorts. The tables should be turned, how easily things could have been different. He couldn't let him self be destroyed, and he couldn't destroy her. He had to do something. Was there any way to deactivate her for a while? There had to be, it was just a matter of thinking things out. He wouldn't have long to do it, since she was about to fire her main weapon. "Jedi, Jedi! There is a way, but you won't be able to do any real repairs for a while. You can send nanobots over there, and she would have to shut down while she fights them, maybe even they will be successful, and we can help her. Only problem is that we have to get in really close, less than 3 meters actually. I will get the nanobots ready if you wish me to."

"I hate to do this, but I have to 002, BETH engage!" Jedi began to move forward.

"You stay back, Black Ghost would prefer you alive, but if you come any closer I will destroy you!"

----------------------------

Back at the base

----------------------------

"Sir, we are registering a massive explosion 5 miles outside the outer shields. It looks like the source was some kind of antimatter weapon."

"Any sign on who survived?"

"No sir."

------------------------------

Herald of light: Sorry about the dropoff in getting new chaps up, I have had a lot of things pop up which have kept me away from the computer. I will get the story done, belive me. If anyone has any questions, comments, rude details, please post them or email me :)


	18. All to battle stations!

Chapter 17: All to battle stations!

Areana had just come out of the temporary sleep that had been forced on her so that her body wouldn't be strained as much. Being asleep, her body was more forgiving. According to the computer, it had been subjected to almost 18 times the normal gravity pull of earth. Most of the jet planes, before the supporting forceshielding of her time, would subject their pilots to about 12 times gravity. Amazing, even though the forceshielding held, it reduced the force of the launch by a factor of ten, meaning that if she had pulled this stunt about thirty years ago she would be soup on the back wall of the cockpit.

The old space shuttle would have made the old NASA pilots puke. The entire interior was torn apart, and instead of the seven-crew seats; there was now one seat. One seat with one screen in front of it, and the control stick. The windows had been covered with special plastinum to be a hundred times stronger than the glass that had been present there. They were also charged, which meant that the special light bending shields were brought up (aka the cloaking device) the windows would tint so that the outside world would not see her. Unlike what had been thought when the shields had been first invented, the only thing you couldn't do with them was fire the engines. She could sit here for the next year and not even have been noticed.

But she couldn't do that, she had a mission, and Jedi was depending on her for her support. Her part in the mission, apart from the support role in re-entering the atmosphere, was to be there for surveying the ships, making sure that they hadn't done any real switch ups, and to be here in case Jedi needed to repair. He had told her that it would take a lot of damage for him to resort to that, but there couldn't be any chances taken, too much was at stake.

The engines were on. That was the sign that something hadn't gone right, and that she should wait for him. This was going to be a boring time. After making sure that she would have enough inertia to continue slightly forward, in this case to the moon, she shut down the engines, and turned on the shields. The windows tinted, she was safe.

For now.

* * *

"There is severe damage to all defensive systems. That means that the shields and protective outer coating are gone. The drainage was successful though, 90% of the antimatter is now in storage."

"BETH, if I ever try that stunt again, I want to you, er, well, can't think of anything at the moment, but just remind me not to do it, okay?"

"How....can you.....still....be there?" 002 had the look of a person exhausted. Evidently she had put a lot more into that blast then she had back in Vegas.

"Its called absorbing your attack. Before you could even get the shot off, I had already zipped over there, now this was all in BETH's control, since I can't even begin to think that fast, and siphoned off a great deal of the antimatter before you let it go. Oh, and by now you are also beginning to feel the effects of my friends."

"But...........you.........can't..."

"But I just did, don't worry, I'll be back for you when the time has come. BETH, now that we have fuel to get up there, how about we get going?"

"Course set for the Phoenix. Speed will be 0.05 c. If the Phoenix is where it is supposed to be, our arrival will be in two seconds."

"Let's go then!" Jedi's legs folded back and the feet ignited into a burst of flames. On his own, he was going to be going into space. He still remembered that near his eighteenth birthday, how the first private space ship had gone into space, and now, well a person was going to be doing it on their own.

* * *

"Black Ghost sir. 002's beacon has gone out. We have also lost track of the 001 prototype."

"Good, that means that they have destroyed each other, and that I won't have to worry about either of them being a thorn in my side anymore!"

"You won't get away with this you know. You can't just destroy every single person on Earth, it just isn't possible." Beneath the floor of the bridge was the brig. There were several people down there, those whom had helped him these many years, others who had been tested on, and a few other types.

* * *

"General. The Phoenix is in position to be our radio bridge to the moon. Do you wish to begin the launch sequence?"

"Tell her to get the weapons ready, have the robots there fuel the rockets and open the launch hatches."

* * *

Jedi had just reached the lower atmosphere. The air was getting thin here, so he was able to see only a little bit of the blue hint of the earthly glow that he was used to. The Dortde vessels were now looming over him, only a matter of miles away from him. Just within range, if, that is, he chose to fire on them.

"BETH," He thought, since there was no air, the verbal conversations he usually had with her were now having to be done entirely in his mind. A little confusing for him sometimes, since it was difficult to distinguish the voices. "I want you to begin to lock-on and compute the best way to invade the lead ship. I also would like you quietly try to raise the Phoenix and see if she would be so nice as to open up the door. We should stop and tell her what has gone on. It would also give a chance to do a few small repairs if necessary."

"Jedi, that's all well and good, but repairs will be next to impossible. The nanobot count is dangerously low as it is due to the invasion of 002. If you shut down to minimal power for an hour or so, the shields could be repaired to about 50% or so, but I wouldn't bet on it too highly."

"That bad huh? How long would it take to replenish the level of nanobots? What materials would it take to do that?" Jedi knew that he had a big problem on his hands. But he couldn't second-guess himself now, the deed was done, 002, er, Julie would either recover to her old self, or well not. He would have to try to do his best to get those levels back up, if he could that was.

"Well, provided that the right materials were available, and that you were at minimal power, production of nanobots would be 5,000 per minute. We would need about 2 billion of them to be at full readiness, but about half that would give a good repair crew. That would take about 11 hours."

"We don't have that kind of time.... but what else can I do? I can only give two hours to this. That would give about 10 million nanobots, that wouldn't give me a good repair crew, but it would be better than nothing. Maybe I should just repair the shielding and go from there."

"Jedi, good to hear that you are still alive. When I awoke I found the ship guiding itself, I thought the worst might have happened. The doors open and your welcome to come in and keep me company for a while." The voice crackled in his head. There was still some interference, even at this close a vicinity. At least she would still be able to communicate with the base via the laser communications system. You could block radio waves, but light was a whole different story.

"BETH, you heard the girl, take us in."


	19. The heart desires that which is beyond

Chapter 18: The heart desires that which is beyond.

Jedi had been out for almost an hour and a half now. Areana was getting worried that he might not be doing what he wanted. There might have been complications or something. No, that wouldn't happen. In a half hour she would shock him back if necessary.

She had been looking at the lead vessel that she had snuck up on during the last hour. It had been slow work, but it had been done. It was about the size of one the USSF's carrier ships, well when there was a USSF presence in space anyway. Scans of the ship showed that it was only lightly shielded, which was odd compared to the other Dortde ships, and that it had a huge shuttlebay, that would be a good spot for Jedi to make his presence known.

There was more though. The radio interference had grown worse since Jedi had come aboard. It was hard to get a message to the silos on the moon, she would probably have to switch to the lascom when the time came to launch. The missiles, as fast as they were, would take about 3 minutes to get to their targets. Meaning that unless Jedi really got their attention, they would be able to take most of the hits with little damage to them.

The Phoenix was refitted into a light attack craft. While there were weapons on board, they were of a minor nature, and weren't intended to be depended on. There was a main laser bank on the sides of the vessel, and the former pneumatic thrusters had been made into mini missile tubes, capable of firing fusion missiles.

"Ugh, I feel like the gum on someone's shoe." Jedi leaned up and looked around. "Wouldn't happen to have any Aspirin, now would you? Wait, never mind, it's taken care of."

"Jedi, hate to tell you this, but you need to get your butt in gear and get going. The enemy has nearly arranged themselves into position. As if that wasn't enough, I am having trouble keeping in contact with base. Ever since you came on board, the interference has jumped threefold."

"Ah, I can explain that. See, I am carrying nearly a pound and a half of antimatter. The containment field is probably what is giving you so much trouble."

"A pound and a half!!!! Are you nuts? That much could blow up the moon if let out all at once. You couldn't have produced it all, and the facilities on Earth just aren't capable of giving you the stuff freely. So where did you get it?"

"Let's just say that an old friend of mine was giving it all away." Jedi produced a grin. "But that is besides the point, when I leave, you will be able to finish your preps for the launch. So, how are our friends out there?" 

"Like I said a couple of seconds ago. They are nearly ready to do whatever it is that they are going to do. I hate to kick you out, but I think that you need to get going."

"So do I then? Not even going to let me say something that I think you would want to hear? Fine, let me just pick up a few things that I took the liberty of storing on board." Jedi got up and climbed the ladder at the back of the cockpit and went into the airlock for the main cargo bay. "Just let me get in there, and then you can open the doors and I will be off." Areana heard over the radio. She reached forward and activated the airlock decompression routine, and then opened the main cargo doors enough to allow him out, but not enough so that the doors would extend outside the shield radius. She started thinking about Jedi, what had he meant? Did he have feelings for her? She blushed. He was a nice person, but if only they had met under different circumstances....

* * *

"Are the test subjects ready?"

"Yes, sir"

"Begin the improvements."

"Aye. aye, sir."

* * *

Herald of light: I'm working as fast as I can. I have pretty much the rest of the story planned out, but I just need to sit down and write it! Hi299O, to answer your review/question, my chapter titles in the beginning were going to be made into a poem of sorts, but I began to feel that the story was too long for that, so I began making the chapter titles sound like what was going on in the chapters, or something like that. Anyway, thanks for reading, and if things go as I want them to, I should have the rest of the story pretty much up before Labor Day. But until the next set is ready, you are kinda left dangling, sorry!


	20. The battle within decides a person's fat...

Chapter 19: The battle within decides a person's fate

All around her was darkness. Darkness without light. Darkness without sound. Darkness without feel, smell, or taste. Was this what it was like to be dead?

She tried to remember what she had last been doing. But just when she got close, she felt a stab of pain. The furthest she could go forward without getting a jab was the day before prom...

* * *

"I don't want to go with you! I only want to go with one person, and he has been declared dead!" Julie slammed the receiver down and nearly broke it. Every guy from the head quarterback down to the class nerd had asked her to prom. And she had repeated herself time and again, every time crying afterwards. She was a complete wreck.

Her father walked in. He had just got back from his weekend training at the National Guard. "So dear, who was that? A boy asking you to prom?" He was answered with a curt groan and with a pillow.

"I don't want to talk about it!"

"Dear, I know what's happening." He said as he sat down in the loveseat next to the couch. "Your still hoping that Jedi didn't actually die, and that he will appear at that door tomorrow night with a tux on, and ask you to the big night. I hate to tell you this, but I was at his funeral. It was the only time I was able to thank him for saving you. You can't wait forever. You need to move on."

"But Dad, you don't understand. I had a crush on him to begin with. When he saved me from those.... people, I saw something in him that wasn't in any other guy that I have talked to. He had a fire to him. I saw it in his eyes. I think that he had a crush on me too, but was just too afraid to say anything. He was that way you know. He kept those emotions to himself. Or so his best friend told me."

"You can't rely on the words of a best friend to tell you about a person. That is their opinion. You need to move on. Now listen here, you already have the dress, the shoes, the car, why don't you just go on your own? Jedi will be there with you in spirit, you know that. Think of it that way dear. You have the rest of your life to find yourself a good man and settle down. Now why don't you just put Jedi behind you and move forward."

"No. I can't!" Julie got up and ran to the door. "And you can't force me to leave him out there. He gave himself fully into protecting us, and that means that we should never forget him. If I can't get together with him, then I will never marry anyone! You hear that!" She grabbed the door handle, opened the door and ran out to her car.

"Honey! Don't do this! Let's talk about it!" But it was too late, by the time he reached the door, she was gone.

She didn't know where she was going. She just wanted to go anywhere but home. How could they all think that she was capable of moving on? The last few months since that day had been trying, yes, but she had always believed that Jedi had been in a hospital somewhere, healing. He was coming back. He wasn't dead.

Julie found herself at the graveyard. She hadn't been here before, but she knew that this was here he was supposedly. As she opened the door, the annoying ringing of the reminder to take the key out of the ignition was sounded. "Stupid piece of crap!" Ripping the keys out, she slammed the door. Jedi's grave was set with a statue over it. People from the town had thought that it was the least they could do. But it was obvious that they had already began to forget what he had done. The spring grass had grown high. She bent down and moved the grass aside. The inscription read : "For those who can't defend themselves. There is always one who will."

She thought back to that day when Jedi had appeared out of nowhere, and shot those three men. The gun that he had given her was back in the glove compartment of the car. Dad didn't know about it, no one did. Julie had kept it so that she would no longer be weak. She didn't want what happened to her then to ever happen to her again. There just wasn't any way for her to go any more. There was no reason. Her eyes stung. Looking at the statue of the person that had inexplicably saved her, the tears began to flow. The statue matched him perfectly, except for his eyes, they were without life.

People had made such a big deal about the prom. About how it was the important social event of the year, about how if you weren't there, you weren't even considered a person. Well, if she couldn't go with him, then there was no way that she was going to be considered a person. Which means that she was as good as dead. Her dad had tried time and again to get her over him, but each time she was pushed a little further away from him. Mom was never around, so there was no real help there. She turned around and walked back to the car.

The country road was full of rocks, but the car's suspension negated them. Up ahead on this old dirt road was a small bridge. There is where I will go. She thought. The creek running underneath the bridge was deep with the spring rains. It was about 25 feet below. Standing next to the railing, she gave a quick prayer, asking God to forgive her for what she about to do. Got up on the railing, and jumped.

* * *

"Hmm, seems that we have another potential subject." The police radio had just reported there had been a body found, she was just barely alive, and they needed an ambulance immediately.

"Let's get going then."

* * *

She was back in the darkness. Julie was saddened by the memories. Why did she even fall for him in the first place?

"That's the least of your worries right now." In front of her materialized herself !? What was this some sort of trick her mind was playing on her? Was this a nightmare that she couldn't wake up from?

She found her voice "Who....Who are you?" Fear began to well up in her. There are times when a person can feel whether someone is good, or is evil. This was one of those times, and this thing wasn't coming for a cup of tea.

"I am you. Well, sort of. See just like your beloved Jedi. You were given a BETH unit. Now a small part of the programming gives the unit, me, the ability to take over the body of the person that it is in. Black Ghost wished for it, and so it happened. I thought that I had rooted you out entirely. But I get to have a little bit of fun before I have to go kill Jedi for good."

"Jedi... is alive? How can that be? What happened to me? What do you mean 'control'?" The questions just flowed out of her mouth, the dam had given way in her heart, and she was had found new hope.

"Yes. Because he was the first android project. And by control I mean that I have your every bodily function under my control. I could kill your body at any time if I wanted. But then I would go with the wind also, and I just don't want that to happen. So just be a good girl and die, okay?"

Die? Wasn't she already dead? Maybe she wasn't. But how? Jedi is alive! I have to go to him. I can't let her stop me. Even if it means that I come back to a world that has forgotten me. "I won't let you!"


	21. Collision, emotions, shutdown, and a ban...

Chapter 20: Collision, emotions, shutdown, and a bang.

The laser shots pinged off the bulkhead behind him. Entering the lead vessel had been easy, but making any progress was iffy. Black Ghost had even been so nice as to meet him at the launch bay when he had entered. But he had nine cyborgs with him also. This was the hardest fight Jedi had ever had to do.

The original nine cyborgs had been given BETH units, and somehow they had taken over them. He wasn't fighting the people, he was fighting the programming that was built into them. As if that wasn't enough, Black Ghost had given them all accelerators that raised them to his level of speed. All were now equipped with the laser firing hand. How he was supposed to defeat them it was beyond him. All of this was told to him after he pried out of them that the destruction of the transport had been a diversion, and they had been transported up to the lead vessel.

"Surrender yourself to Black Ghost now, and we will show mercy." The nine cyborgs said together in monotone. That was another thing, the whole speaking in unison was freaky. Well, better give them an answer.

"Hell no! BETH, switch the polymorphic weaponry to the positron collider." This was one of his special items that he had been working on. Thank God that he hadn't had this when he had been in Vegas. Peaking his head around the corner, he could only see eight of them. 007 was missing. He must be thinking that he can sneak up on me, Jedi thought. Better raise what I have of those shields now. "BETH, shields up."

"I wouldn't do that, because I am right in front of you." GB appeared out of the wall. He was holding out his left hand. It was fully ready to fire. Something that got to Jedi was that he was inside of the radius of his shielding. Turning around Jedi did the only thing he could think of.

"BETH, accelerate!" Raising his speed rapidly, he gained precious time to charge the collider. It was nearly ready. Jedi ran off down the launch bay. He had been about 50 meters into the ship. Now he was a mere ten. The collider was ready. Jumping around from his corner and increasing his speed to overload, he fired.

The other eight cyborgs had just appeared around the corner when the blast took them. The particles from the beam tore at their bodies, giving each severe burns. Collectively they sighed and passed out. That left only GB. Looking around, Jedi couldn't see anything. There was the little space fighters to the right, some kind of containers on the left, a puddle over by the pile of cyborgs, a couple of Dortde on the catwalk above. Wait a minute, a puddle? As far as Jedi knew puddles just didn't happen on their own, that must be him! He shot his glance back to the group, but now the puddle was under them. Can't get a clear shot, I want to try to save them if I can. Jedi thought. But all he could do is look on as GB forced him to wait.

"What are you waiting for 001? You could be rid of the entire problem at once. No, but you want to try to save them all. So you are holding back." Jedi grimaced. Black Ghost was hitting it right on the nose. He didn't want to destroy them, but something was telling him that he couldn't save them either. "Let me be the first to inform you of this. If you continue to hold back, then you will be destroyed. Show them what I mean, 007!"

"Yes, sir." GB's voice was recognizable, but it was monotone. But after Jedi's shudder from hearing his voice, he was utterly scared at what he saw. Before him, the puddle was forming around the other cyborgs. Each cyborg's face began to fade into the now puddle of mass. Out came an arm, a leg. GB's head stuck out the top. He had absorbed the other cyborgs!! That put him equal to Jedi, if not even more powerful. Each cyborg's abilities were now at the disposal of a single mind. As if that hadn't been bad enough, each cyborg had a BETH. Jedi wasn't just fighting one person, he was fighting nine people, nine lifetimes, and nine supercomputer-like tactical programs. How was he supposed to get past that? He was one person, with only eighteen years of life, and only one of the miracle workers. On top of all that, his defenses were all but gone, the shields would only be able to take a few more hits before they were gone. Despite everything those years of life had taught him, he began to lose hope.

"Jedi," It was BETH, as she spoke, time slowed even more then usual. The 00 conglomeration tried to keep up, but it was unable to, and were soon slowed down to a stop. "Jedi. I know that you think things are helpless, but think why you are here. People are down there depending on you to save them. Even though you may be outgunned, that doesn't mean that you will be at a disadvantage. I have seen your life, and I know that you have had it hard. Your parents divorcing in the fourth grade. Your mom sliding down into a mental abyss. The day that you fought those terrorists, and were supposed to have died. But you know what, you didn't. You didn't give up hope. Blindly you continued to go forward in life. You excelled at whatever you put yourself into. What you should do now is ask yourself, is one person going to stand between you and your goal?"

"You can look into my life? You didn't tell me?"

"Yes, Jedi. We share the same artificial brain after all. There is going to me some sharing. But that isn't important, you need to think about this. You have all of the abilities to take him down. You have all the knowledge to take him and Black Ghost down. But do you have the courage to take him down, defeat Black Ghost, and save the human race? It is times like these that test your character, seeing whether you are a man, or a child."

"BETH, shutdown. I'll take over." Jedi felt nervous. He was going to step out on a limb. Whether the limb would hold him, he would soon find out.

"Okay, Jedi. I put everything into your hands, remember what I have taught you in our short training session on Earth, and you should be fine. Shutting down."

Jedi was now alone in his mind. He had been getting used to her calming presence. His vision began filling with prompts and charts as he took manual control of everything. Taking a deep breath out of habit, he brought the speed back down to where the 00's were.

Dodging over a blaster shot that it was putting out, Jedi took aim and fired on a hatch that was near the hand that had fired. The shot found its mark and blew the hatch wide open. Diffusion is a consequence of there being an unbalance in nature. Everything seeks to be balanced. The same was true with air. As the air tried to rush out into space to even the pressure, GB's laser firing hand was sucked out with it. Like a bathtub plug, it now kept the air stable in the bay. That at least even the odds, in a sense. With BETH offline, Jedi didn't have to announce every weapon change. He just thought of the weapon that he wanted, and it became his right arm. Choosing the Photon cannon, he charged forth.

As he approached, the mega-007 began throwing punches with its one arm. Each one hit. The damage from each was extraordinary. Jedi's vision exploded with prompts of system failures and severe malfunctions. Shields were gone, main weapons were down, sensors down to basic sight, accelerators were stuck. The left arm was dangling at his side, the connections to it severed. The force from each blow had flowed through Jedi, did its damage to him, and dented the floor beneath him. The blows had to have had the force of several thousand tons of mass behind them, but Jedi knew that the fist couldn't have weighed that much. Another prompt caught Jedi's attention. The antimatter containment was on the verge of failing. He had to retreat, had to keep that from happening. Or should he?

An idea began rattling in his head. Maybe he could improvise a weapon, it would be dangerous, but it might just work. He didn't have much to lose, so this was it. This was the way that he was going to die. So be it, he would give Areana the signal and accomplish all of his goals at the same time. The 00 cyborgs would have to be casualties. Julie wouldn't have him there to wake her up. But just because he was about to die, wouldn't mean that he would be with them. He will have given them the ultimate gift.

His life.

Calmly, he directed the containment field to shut down, sent Areana the signal, and ejected the antimatter pod.


	22. Sacrifice to the Angels

Chapter 21: Sacrifice to the angels.

Areana was asleep when it happened. The explosion set off every alarm that there was on board. Radiation bombarded the shielding, making it light up like a Christmas tree. No use in trying to hider herself now. If they can see that, then they know that someone is here. She climbed into the pilot's seat and brought up the main propulsion system on the monitor. In front of her materialized a set of throttles and a joystick. This was the fun part. All of the controls were actually holograms. Items that felt real but were only forcefields and tricks of light. But as the saying went "If it quacks like a duck and walks like a duck. Then it must be a duck."

She pushed the throttles to half normal power. This kicked the Phoenix forward and the master alarm for the shielding went off. "Radiation's a tad too strong. Better go slower. Besides, I don't even know what is there. One second, I am seeing Jedi off to the battle with the lead ship. The next, I am woken up by radiation alarms." Areana scanned the monitor, looking for any signs of what was going on. There was a message waiting for her. "Must be a prank call." She punched it up on the loudspeaker.

"Areana, this is Jedi. By the time you receive this, it is most likely that I will be dead." Jedi's face appeared in front of hers as a hologram. "This is your signal that you should launch the missiles. I also want to say that you made me feel like a person again. When I woke up, and told that I had been turned into a cyborg, and then an android, I felt my humanity slip away. Part of me died. Maybe it was the soul of the person that I used to be, I don't know. But let me tell you that I even forgot my birthday. Did an android really need to remember that sort of thing? Then you came along with that cupcake. Everyone had treated me nicely, but it was easy to tell that they were uneasy around me. But not you. I think that you are a really nice person, and that you will go far after this war is over. Well, you need to launch those missiles now, so I had better let you go. I don't imagine that I will ever see you again, so just be good and live."

Areana was in tears. Jedi had made himself a sacrifice. The radiation from the blast was disrupting the shield matrix, and if it was doing that to the Phoenix, then she could only imagine what was going on with the Dortde vessels. Now was obviously the right time to launch, but what if Jedi had survived whatever blast had made this radiation cloud? The missiles would destroy him for sure. The scanners had matched the blast pattern. Areana was now sure that he was dead. She punched up the command console for the missile launchers. The radiation was blocking the transmissions, both the radio and the lascom. That meant that she would have to go closer to the moon in order to send the launch command. But that wasn't the only thing that they were picking up.

"Computer identify the android signature approaching from the planet's surface."

"Processing....... Identity confirmed. Android signature is 002. Do you wish to arm weapons?"

"Better go ahead. Set course for the moon. I want to be within radio range of the missiles in less than five minutes."

"Unable to comply. Radio transmitters are offline."

"Fine! Get me within range of the lascom."

"Unable to comply. An antimatter radiation cloud has formed all the way to the surface of the moon."

"THIS IS STARTING TO GET ANNOYING! JUST GET ME TO THE MOON, NOW!"

"Complying."

What was 002 doing? She was coming straight for the Phoenix. Did Black Ghost find out about the Phoenix? Could she be meaning to destroy her and any hope there was left?


	23. Light and Dark clash, but who will preva...

* * *

Chapter 22: Light and Dark clash, but who will prevail?

"Reserve power on. Repairs commencing. Unable to initiate main or auxillary power due to BETH override."

What was going on?

"So, I see that you are still alive?"

"Huh? Who's there?"

"I am your beginning and your end. You were only the protectioin to the world from me, your true self."

"So, what is your purpose? What is it that you want?"

"Black Ghost has given me the command to take over your body when you have met the objectives. The true purpose of the BETH is to push the pysche to continue improving their android body. In your case, Jedi, it was to perfection. Your objective, to become invincible! And now that you have attained that, it is my place to take over, and destroy you!"

Jedi looked around him. This was impossible. He was back on the stage in the auditorium of his school. The room was empty. All of the seats were in their upright position. Dust covered the floor around him. It was like time had frozen here, and for fifty years, no one had entered this room. In front of him stood himself? The brown hair, the dark eyes, the scar just above the nose. Everything was the same. But there was something different. Jedi had looked in a mirror enough times to know himself. This person's eyes were darker, more evil than his.

"No wonder you kept telling me that I could keep going, could keep repairing and fighting. Surely you don't think that I didn't think that it was too convienent for you to be there. So, you want to take over my body. Why?"

"Because Black Ghost needs for me to. He needs for me to do this so that when the time comes, I will be able to take over this pathetic world and crush the remnant of the human race."

"What makes you think that I will let you do that?"

"I didn't, but then that just makes the destruction of your psyche that much more interesting. Do you get it? I am going to destroy all that is you, to make room for all that is me."

"I'd like to see you try." Jedi looked at his right arm, it looked normal, could he still possibly?

"The polymorphic weaponry isn't availible here. Along with that, all of your other android abilities are gone. We fight this hand-to-hand."

Jedi gulped. He had never had to fight like that before. He had seen a great deal of action movies, just like any other teenager of his time. This was going to be brutal. Taking a step forward, he clenched his fists ready to begin. He wasn't going to make the first move.

"I am everything that you are not. Where you hate, I love. What you love, I hate. You have weaknesses that are my strengths. You are not going to win."

"You are all talk, let's just see if you have what it tkes to back it up." The image charged forward, enraged. His fist plunged downward aiming for a crippling blow at Jedi's chest. Jedi moved to the left, right to the edge of the stage. He did so barely in time to make it out of the punch's range. The air around the punch glowed, and went out when it was followed through. Somehow, there was somekind of energy being shunted into that punch. "Anything you can do, I can do better" Jedi taunted as he focused on his hand, forming the fist, then putting himself fully into the punch. For the moment, nothing else mattered. He hit the dark side of himself square on the back. The flesh burned, and Jedi could smell the odor. This was exactly like a dream. A dream where you can't control what goes on around you, but things still happen.

"So I see. You are stronger than first thought. It will be my plaseure to destroy you now." Rapidly turning, Jedi only was able to see the punch right before it landed in his face, throwing him back and into the wall making an indentation on it. Drywall fell off as Jedi slumped to the ground.

"You should just give up and go quietly. I can make this like hell for you!"

"Ne.....Never." Jedi struggled to his feet. He was off of the stage. Slowly moving forward Jedi managed to crawl up onto the stage. This was where he needed to be, but for what reason? He knew just a moment ago, but it had slipped from his memory.

"Did I mention that if you are off of the stage, that you start to die? That is how this will be decided. By whomever manages to keep the other off of the stage the longest until one of us no longer is here."

"What...am I doing here?"

"Ahhh. Poor baby. Forget why we are fighting? Here let me show you." Approaching the weakened Jedi, BETH picked him up, and began a rapid concussion barrage. Punch after punch landed. Jedi eventually couldn't feel the blows. Something was telling him to fight back, to defend himself, but he couldn't find a reason. All he wanted to do was go to sleep, but that one thing just wouldn't let him go.

'Jedi! Jedi! Are you there?" Something told him that he recognized that voice. But the name wasn't there. 'Jedi, you can't shut down now! The world needs you! We need you! I...need you. Jedi don't let go! Let me thank you for saving me, twice now. But you need to be awake for that. You need to fight!'

Suddenly in a flash, the name came to him. Julie! Jedi moved out of the way of the continious blows. BETH turned and was greeted with an uppercut. Things were back to a standstill. BETH looked at him, wondering how Jedi could have recovered. Jedi now knew that he had to do. In front of him appeared a sword.

"What! How can that be!? You can't be able to make weapons here. I am in control. I said no weapons, and there are no weapons." BETH tried to take the sword from in front of Jedi. But when his hand closed on the hilt, it immidiately caught on fire. "AHHHHHHH!" BETH fell down in a heap at Jedi's feet. Jedi knew that this would be his only chance. He had to take the sword. His hand trembled as he reached out and closed on the handle.

It felt so light. He was surprised by it. An inscription on the blade read:

To he who must defend himself from the evil within there will be given the power to shed their dark.

What did that mean? But that didn't matter. Lifting up the blade, he readied himself to strike down his inner evil.

"Heh, so it looks like I did misinterpret your soul scan. The odd readings weren't a sign of weakness, but of great strength."

"What do you mean?"

* * *

"What is their status?"

"Jedi is okay, but the readings are extremely eradic. Unfortunately, the cyborgs aren't doing as well. We've lost 007 and 001 to their BETH's. I can keep them under until we figure out what to do with them."

"Okay Julie, keep an eye on them, I will tell you when I have to land."  
  
"Was that sword there when you came in?"

"No. Where did it come from?"

* * *

Herald of light: Okay, I know I said somewhere that I would try posting a lot more often, and I am still going to do that, but I may have to end this story, and then start another! I have been brainstorming too much. I'd say that a sequal may be in order! Anyway, what is the sword? What does it mean? Will Jedi win? What does BETH mean 'soul scan'? All that and more in the upcoming chapters as I start to bring this puppy to a close!

Special note to Hi299O: Thanks :) I really appriciate the great reviews! As for my dreams, let's just say that I am also an avid daydreamer, so if I remember a dream, I usually am stuck in it for the rest of the day. Actually only the first few chapters are based off of the actual first dream, the rest is a product of my daydreaming, or my very active imagination, whichever you wish to blame ;)


	24. Find of Eternity

Chapter 23: Find of eternity

"When you were first taken under Black Ghost's control, your body was scanned using what is called a Electromagnetic Soulfuric Hyperbaric Scanner. It was built with the sole purpose of measuring the power of a person's soul. They found that your soul was unrecognized in the scan. That meant that you had either a very weak soul, or one that could surpass every person's who had ever lived. Black Ghost bet that you had the former, and turned you into a cyborg. He then sent you to the moon, where further tests could be done, and maybe even further improvements.

But when your transport was attacked, your pod was ejected into space. You were meant to eventually go to the Dortde as a gift of good faith, but instead you crashed into the moon. For fifty years I toiled on the body. Making adjustments to the artificial skin, increasing accelerator speeds, and turning every part of you into a robotic copy. That is what you are, a copy of your cyborg self, complete with all his abilities and then some."

"You mean, that I am not alone? That I have a clone? As powerful as I am?"

"Yes. Yes, and no. Your clone, Cyborg 0021-alpha, is more powerful than you. Black Ghost retrieved him on the return to Earth. I suspect that right now he would either be attacking your beloved base, or your girlfriends."

* * *

"What's Jedi doing out there? He's supposed to be destroying the Dortde fleet." General Redding looked to the radioman on his right. "Any contact?"

"No sir. I have tried to hail him, but he hasn't responded."

Jedi was floating in midair, just outside the main base shielding. He had quickly dispatched the Dortde infantry on his way in. He hadn't left any sign of them behind. That wasn't like him, but war did things to people. Redding knew this, and thought that maybe he had found something that he didn't know about.

"Attention occupants of the space force base. Surrender now and I will make your deaths quick and painless. If you do not surrender quietly, I will be forced to come in there and kill each one of you, slowly."

"Jedi, what's wrong with you?"

"Jedi? I am not this Jedi. According to data files, Jedi is at this moment being destroyed."

"Just who are you then, if we may ask?"

"I am...I am....my designation is....."

* * *

"Julie, the missiles are launching!!!"

"What do you mean 'the missiles are launching? I thought that you were the only one that could launch them."

"With the launch codes, yes. But when you are on the moon base, the codes can be overridden. The only problem is, that there is no one posted on the base. That was set in an international agreement many years ago. The computer is telling me that that missiles are heading for the Dortde vessels, but this doesn't feel right, if those vessels move, they would destroy the human settlements below."

"Let me go check it out. Jedi is out cold, and the others are all going to be gone for some time, thanks to the sedatives that are set up."

"Okay, you know the exit." Areanna looked back at the sensors. Without her knowing about it, she had been running scans on Julie. She was different know, something was missing from the scan. She compared both the first encounter and the latest scans to Jedi's last scan. There it was. Julie's BETH was no longer there, the unit was gone.

* * *

Jedi slashed through BETH. Both parts slumped to the floor. Jedi sheathed the sword. It was over.

"What? Giving up so soon?" Jedi looked back. Where his evil self had been, there was nothing. Across the stage he stood, as ugly as ever. "I told you that you wouldn't kill me that way. Let's try this again. This time the field will be even." As BETH spoke, another sword appeared in front of him. This one had a darkness looming around it, as though a thunderstorm was forming around the blade. "Your not the only one with a special blade."

"That may be true, but let me tell you this. You will not defeat me because I am human and you are not. I have a soul which is good and isn't afraid of evil. You, on the other hand are only bits of data. You have no soul!"

"That's what you think. I am more like you than you know. Many attempts were made to copy you. But for some reason, the scientists couldn't get your body to live. That's when the BETH was made."

"Oh, so that makes you so special!" Jedi was in disgust. This pathetic piece of crap was trying to delay for time. Unfortunately it was working. Jedi wanted to know about what had happened. Jedi prepared himself for the attack. He placed his hand on the hilt. "How about I make it so that you don't exist? Huh?"

"Don't you get it? I am what makes you tick. I am your soul. Without me you would cease to function. All of this means that I should be in control. Your consciousness was implanted into an artificial memory bank, and I allowed you to control the body for a time."

"If all this is true, then that means that I am truly a copy of the original Jedi. Then where is the original?"

"What would it matter to you? The original Jedi was only made into a Level one cyborg. He would be of no use to you. But here is something to think about though, you were the 27th clone of the original Jedi. Your designation is Android 001-omega. He is the alpha, the beginning, and you are the omega, the end. The fact that you are the last means that you are unworthy of anything that has been given to you."

Level one cyborg? What did that mean? Why would anyone want to clone a person over and over again? Jedi's mind filled with questions, but he couldn't answer any of them right now. He had to defeat BETH, even if that meant that he would be destroyed also.

"Thanks for all the chatter, but I think that we should end this now." Jedi drew the blade. It looked different now. It was translucent, with an orange tint to the material. It couldn't have been metal, at least any metal that Jedi knew of. But it felt like it belonged in his hand. The blade deserved a name, but one that would fit wasn't on Jedi's mind at the moment. BETH charged. Jedi parried his blow. With its defenses wide open, Jedi now had the time to thrust. Shifting right, he brought the sword and slammed it into the enemy's side, causing him to stumble over.

And off the stage.

"NOW STAY THERE!" Jedi yelled as he felt his right arm change. The sword that had been in his hand was now a part of his arm. As if that wasn't enough, his arm was turning into some sort of cannon. In his sight now flashed the words "Do you wish to activate 'Total Weapon Fire'?" Jedi didn't know what that meant, but he selected 'Yes.'

Panels flew off all of his limbs. Gatling guns flew out of his back and targeted BETH. The limbs were filled with multiple rocket launchers. His right arm, where the sword had been absorbed, glowed bright red. This would be the last attack.

But would he be able to live afterwards?

There was only one way to find out.

"Total weapons, fire!"


	25. Our hero can only strengthen that which ...

Chapter 24: Our hero can only strengthen that which he has not.

The smoke cleared slowly. One breath. Two breaths, three. As Jedi was inhaling again out of habit, he began to make out the faint outline of the floor below.

BETH was gone.

"The Chosen One has proven himself worthy of our help." Beside him appeared his old homeroom teacher. "He will save us, defend us from the Evil One!"

"If he is to defend us, then let us defend him!!! Give him the shield!!!" People began filing into the room, they sat down in the rows. Everyone that Jedi had ever known was there. Julie, General Redding, Areana, Mom, Dad, all of them were now slowly taking their places in the crater that Jedi had made.

"Who are you? What happened to BETH?"

"We are the Overseers. Fifteen of your years ago, we were surveying this portion of space. We ran across signals of two androids, both in deactivated states. You were on the third planet's moon, the other was drifting in space near the star you call Alpha Centauri. When we took you aboard our vessel to examine you, the first thing we noticed was how you were based off of human anatomy. Both were exactly the same, yet mechanical. While we were making our scans, we received a message from our future selves. They told us that one of you were to become a great defender, but to do this, that you would need our help. Knowing that, we reprogrammed your BETH modules to train you, encourage you, and ultimately, test you. That sword is a sign of your purity of soul, despite your not being human. We now must trust in you fully the future not only of the humans and the Dortde, but of the entire galaxy, for in a hundred years time, the galaxy was under the control of Black Ghost. This was dependent on one thing though, his victory over his species. As long as that doesn't happen, then there is still hope for this galaxy to remain out of the jaws of evil."

"You mean that I am now no longer trying to fight for my race, but for the entire galaxy? This is too much to bear."

"The Dortde are merely the beginning of his dominion. He is using them to further his goals. When they are no longer useful, then he will destroy them. His ultimate goal is this: to kill every living being. For when he has done that, he will be the strongest. That is what he seeks."

"No way. That is too much even for someone that is evil. They would have to know that there would be no reason to take over the galaxy just to destroy it? What am I supposed to be anyway? A savior? Hah! I couldn't even save the 00 cyborgs when I had to fight them on Black Ghost's ship! How I am here talking to you is something that I don't even understand!! You know what? I wish that you would just leave me alone. I have a lot to do, and only so much time to do it in. I have to get repairs underway, then I have to go and finish the job that I started."

"He thinks he can win alone. There is still darkness within his heart. He doubts in his own strength. You think that you can make repairs and still accomplish your mission. In time, you could, but by then, everything would be lost. For there are enough missiles on their way to the Earth to destroy it. You only have 2.65 minutes to do it all in without our help. Do you think that you could?"

Just above two and a half minutes. That was how long he had. Jedi brought up the main systems screen in front of him. In this world, he could do as he wished. He controlled everything. Jedi was amazed that he had a body left. The systems screen showed him that he was running on emergency power. Even that was running out, thankfully though someone had connected an external power source. Repair estimates were being expressed in years. Jedi had no choice, he had to trust in them. It may be a mistake, but what was he supposed to do? He was the only one that could go and save the world. Julie was offline. The Phoenix didn't have the firepower necessary to make much of a difference. There were 30 million people left counting on him. He was the embodiment of their hope.

"How do I know that this isn't some kind of trick? For all I know, you could be BETH, or Black Ghost in disguise. When I accept your help, how do I know that what I wake up to will be real?"

"You will know, because it will be real. You just thought about the android named Julie. She is the other android that we recovered. She, like you has pulled the sword from within her soul. Unlike you though, we found that she was unworthy of the shield, since she was still at war with herself. With that in mind, we erased from her memory all thoughts of the sword. She is now at your side, waiting for your return to the real world."

"You messed with her memories? I suppose that on some level that should make sense. Does this sword have a name? I feel kind of dumb just to keep calling this a sword. But if your offer is still open, I accept."

"Very well. Once you hear the name of the sword, then you can never go back to whom you were. Is this what you really want?"

Jedi thought for a second. Did he really have to save the Earth? Of course he did!! He was Earth's Last Hope. "Yes, I ask for your help."

"Very well, the name of the sword is..."

* * *

"Jedi's main power cell is overloading!!! He is going to explode!" Areana rushed back into the cargo bay. She hadn't even had a chance to get out. Julie was standing at a small monitor overlooking the bay. Inside were all of the cyborgs, and the one android. "You've got to get him away from the vessel!"

"How?"

"Let's move the cyborgs inside the cockpit. Then I will open the cargo doors and you will toss Jedi in the direction of those missiles. If he is going out with a bang, I think that he would want to take those missiles with him. Even if he will take our last hope, he would be happy if there was even a chance those missiles would kill our people."

"Right, then let's get started."


	26. Death, death, everywhere, but not a life...

Chapter 25: Death, death, everywhere, but not a life to live.

---Main Power online---

Jedi opened his eyes. It was dark all around him. He was floating in space!!! Had the effects of the explosion thrown him this far out? The moon and the earth looked nearly the same size. That meant that he was closer to the moon. Jedi looked around him. The sword that the Inuta promised would be there was no where to be seen! So it was a trick after all. At least I got a systems repair out of the deal. It was true. All systems were fully repaired and ready to go.

"..tion....Attention," A voice buzzed into his mind. A radio message was coming in. "Attention all remaining Human Forces, the USSF Base in Nevada is under attack by Android 001, Jedi. We wish that as many people as possible try to run away from this threat. It is more than likely that this will be the last broadcast from this base. We do not know as to the disposition of the Phoenix, or if even the missiles have been launched. Good-bye, and good luck in your efforts. General Redding, out."

What had that been about? Jedi was right here. He wasn't attacking the base. And what about those missiles? Jedi scanned the space around him. Debris was everywhere, the scanners said that the fragments were mostly made of a metal alloy used in ballistic missiles. So that answers that question. As for the attack on the base....

Then it hit him. The Inuta had told him that he was the clone of Jedi Rilet. The original was down on the surface. He was probably the one attacking the base! Jedi brought up the navigational menu. Selecting the maximum speed setting, Jedi plotted a course to the surface. Jedi had to get ready. There was some antimatter along the course, so Jedi turned his right arm into a Bussard collector. If nothing else, he would have an ace up his sleeve. The only limit to the amount he would collect would be his speed. He was currently traveling at about 1,200 miles per second. This meant that he was really zipping along.

A message flashed in the middle of his sight. "Atmospheric interface in 30 seconds. Do you wish to raise shields?"

Jedi selected yes. He was going to be coming in nice and crispy.

* * *

"Jedi, you don't have to do this! We can talk. You know me, I am General Redding. I was there the first day after your cryo pod was opened. Remember?"

"That designation is not valid. I am Black Ghost. You must surrender to me now. As a show of my power, I will now lower your shields." Black Ghost was floating in midair just outside of the base's shields. Raising his left arm, he straightened his fingers and fired. Instantly alarms went off.

"Alert! Base shielding is offline. Defense Turrets one, two, and three also are offline. Major damage to the runway."

"Computer! Shut up! Silent alerts until I give further orders."

"What should we do?" One of the technicians asked, looking up from the main console.

"The only thing we can, surrender."

"Black Ghost. We....surrender. Attention all Base personell, stand down. Take all weapons offline and stand down. This is General Redding. My security code is Alpha Pi Nine, use it to secure your stations and relocate in the main hanger."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" On the horizon appeared a giant fireball

"Identify yourself!" Black Ghost yelled.

"Identify this!!" From the fireball came a giant blast of black energy. The blast engulfed the cyborg Black Ghost, and began to eat away at his uniform.

"What is this! I am all powerful! I control the planet before you! How dare you defy me!"

"You are nothing. You are merely the original gone bad. You have no control over that which is not yours." The fireball slowed and then stopped thirty feet in front of Black Ghost. "See, I know all about you. How you are the original Jedi Rilet. How you were corrupted by the first Black Ghost. And how you are not going to let anything live in the galaxy. My sole purpose now is your demise!"

"That cannot be! I am unable to be defeated! There is no other like me! I am destined to rule the universe!" Black Ghost pulled from behind him a small sphere. "Let's see who you are really. Are you Android 002 perhaps? Or are you that pathetic copy 001?" Pressing a button on the sphere, Black Ghost wound up, and threw the sphere into the fire.

"SIR! That device has a high concentration of..."

BOOOM

The light produced from the explosion instantly destroyed all of the sensors on the base. The intense heat melted the doors together. The personnel that had been outside were instantly incenerated, their ashes being blown to the four corners by the pressure wave that followed.

---Restarting main sensors---Protected mode power down---

"You think that that will work? As you can see, I have not revealed myself to your evil."

"ARRGH! HOW CAN YOU BE CAPABLE OF SURVIVING THAT!??!? Not even the android test simulations proved that you could survive that! You should be a pile of dust in my universe!" 

"It's this easy. You have emplanted yourself into Jedi's original body, and have taken it as your own. With that body, you sent yourself to the Dortde, and began to get them to attack the Earth. As their leader, you used Jedi's body to destroy people, buildings, entire cities! But something that you never had control over was Jedi's soul. The original Jedi hasn't given you **permission** to use his body! For that reason, and that reason alone, you will not succeed in defeating me! You will always be one step behind me, no matter how much power you can channel into a weapon, how much an explosion can destroy, you will never be able to conquer me, for you have no soul of your own!"

"That is not true! I am implanted into this body, yes. But there is no traces left of Jedi in here!" Black Ghost took off his mask. It was true. Despite the years that had passed, all the stresses laid down, the face was exactly as Jedi remembered it being that last day fifty years ago.

"What you say is a total lie! There is still traces of Jedi in there. Those pieces of him are what is limiting you. As long as you are inside that body, you will never defeat me." Jedi extended his right arm outside the now transluent fire surronding him. "Now it is time for you to let Jedi rest in piece." The arm began to form a cannon. This cannon was covered in black. It shined like it was covered in tar. "This weapon was designed specifically for your demise. Despite all of the improvements that you could have made, you can't defend yourself from this blast. Dark afterimage blaster, FIRE!"

From the dark blaster emitted a blue glow, then a single ball of light, not even three inches in diameter was shot out. Slowly it made it's way to its target. It would engulf him, and give the original Jedi's soul a chance to get even for the last fifty years. By now, the shielding around Jedi no longer glowed from reentry. All he had to do was stay here and make sure that the job was done.

That is, until Jedi detected missiles coming in from the right side! They were fast, travelling from the horizon to where he was in a second. Jedi had no time to brace, he took the hit without the full protection of the armor suit.

"Hey you! Stop being so hard on our hero!" Areana radioed. As the dust cleared, Jedi could feel the effect of the fusion missiles. Main shields were at half power, and wouldn't stand another blast, his sensing quipment had been overloaded again, and the polymorphic arm was on the fritz, for now it was stuck in the normal mode.

"Were here to help General Redding!" Julie appeared nearby where Black Ghost had been. The Dark Afterimage attack was still underway! It would be a good five minutes before it fully took effect. Until then, Jedi appeared to them just like what Black Ghost did. That was the downside to the weapon. He had to hold on until the weapon did it's work.

"Hey! Mind if we lend a hand?" Jet flew by, the other cyborgs were rematerializing on the ground. With their own new improvements, Jedi couldn't hold both them and Julie off forever. And with the Phoenix still flying around, that was that, he was going to be destroyed by those he loved the most. That is, unless the sword could possibly...? Jedi reached down to his side. The sword wasn't there! Where could it be!? The sword was the key to surviving! Where was he during the time he was with the Inuta? Where had his body been? The external power source! That had to be the key. The only power sources that were present at that time were on board either the Dortde vessels, or the Phoenix.

That had to be where it was! Jedi knew that he had to get on board, but how! With him being seen as the Evil One, he would be attacked on all sides. Was there anything he could do to stall the cyborgs? Anytime he gained would be invaluable.

"All right people! Fire!" Ivan produced a laser pistol and took aim at Jedi. Julie charged her antimatter beam, and also let loose.

"AHHHH!" Jedi could feel the energy from the blasts dance across the shields. They buckled, then failed. As hard as he could try, Jedi couldn't keep the attacks from reaching his body. Now would be a good time to throw out one of his few tricks left. "Super accelaration mode!" Fading from sight, Jedi soon found that he could see nothing around him. He hadn't wanted to use this. Going at a speed compared to the fastest thing known wasn't safe. Technically he could fly off into space and forever drift at the same speed. But as long as he didnt' move too much, he would be okay.

---Real-world time passing at ratio of 150 accelorated seconds to 1 real world second. Calculated time until Dark Afterimage wears off......... 675 accelorated minutes.---

"Can't hold it that long. I guess this is it. At least I killed Black Ghost, for good."


	27. Doomsday's End Part 1

Chapter 26: Doomsday's End Part 1

---30 seconds until accelerator overload---

"Crap! This isn't going well." Jedi thought to himself. "But what can I do? The only options left to me is to fight, which I can't do, or use the..." That was when it hit him. Down in the lower right corner was a small gauge. Jedi hadn't switched off the re-entry rocket status monitor! It still showed that he had fuel. Could he possibly?

"If only BETH were still here to help me, I could do it. Now I am going to have to be destroyed by my best friend, and the only people that I could consider family in this new age."

Jedi tried to think back to the simpler days. Days when he wouldn't have had a worry in the world. He would come home from school as fast as he could so he could watch cartoons. This was back when his parents had been together. Neither was ever home, but he was still able to have fun. It had been hard, since he never got a chance to go out and meet people, but as he grew up, he learned how to be his own person, not one made by others.

---Caution: 25 seconds until accelerator overload---

Could he raise the armor? It would deflect the laser blasts of the cyborgs, but Julie's antimatter would take care of that. This was getting futile. There couldn't be anyway for him to survive the oncoming attacks, at least on his own anymore.

"Hey, did someone order room service?" Jedi was confused. The voice sounded like BETH's, but he knew that was impossible, since he destroyed it not even a few hours ago. "Hello? Is this thing on? That's great. I come to help, and all I get is ignored. This helps a lot. What am I supposed to do know? I could override, but that is something I won't do."

"BETH? Is that you?"

---Caution: 20 seconds until accelerator overload---

"JEDI! It's you! I thought that maybe you had been completely disconnected."

"What do you mean 'completely disconnected?'"

"When you launched your final attack during the Test, your shots hit all around me. While we were in your mind, almost all of the shots were not able to do damage. But your last attack was so powerful, that despite the safety protocols the damage was physically recreated. You overloaded my connections, and well, I have been unable to communicate for a while now. Thankfully a few of the nanobots were able to talk to me, and we managed to make a few connections."

"How long would it take for your connections to be fully repaired?"

"That's already done. I diverted a small amount of the main repair crews, it only took a second."

---Warning: 15 seconds until accelerator overload---

"BETH, were you able to read my mind? Do you know of the plan that could save us?"

"Yes, do you wish to try it?"

"I don't see any reason why now, it's our only chance of making it through this still functioning!"

"Okay, here goes. It'll take a few seconds to slow down to the appropriate speed. "

---Danger!!! 10 seconds until accelerator overload---

---9---

---8---

"Slowing down. Going sub-light now."

---7---

---6---

"Once we get underway, focus all repairs on the accelerators, they are going to need it the most."

"Okay"

---LEVEL 1 DANGER!!! 5 Seconds until accelerator overload---

"Cutting it kind of close don't you think?"

---4---

---3---

---2---

---1---

A laser blast whipped past Jedi's ear. He was back in normal time! The re-entry boosters should kick in....

NOW!

From the bottom of Jedi's feet emitted a giant blast of fire as he was carried upward.

"Where'd he go?" Jet looked around him in disbelief.

"He's using some kind of booster. Heh, he won't be able to use it long, come on Jet, I have a lock on his exhaust." Julie motioned and flew off in the direction that her sensors told her was correct.

"That's it, come on!" Jedi saw behind him that the two capable of flight were following him. The others were staying behind, why, Jedi couldn't say, but it was good news nonetheless. "BETH. Do you think that the nanobots in Julie can still be talked to? They came from me, so why can't we maintain a link with them?"

"I can try, but I have my doubts. Why would you want to communicate with them anyway?"

"Because I want to send a telegram."

"Huh?! What's this, it sounds almost like the old Morse code. Dash Dash Dot. Dash Dot Dot." A small window came up and translated the message.

"Julie, STOP Please, stop attacking me. I am under the effects of an attack that I made on Black Ghost. STOP For the next four minutes or so, I will look like him. STOP Your previous attacks have already done irreparable damage to my shields and the polymorphic weaponry. STOP If you continue to attack, I will be unable to destroy Black Ghost for good. STOP"

Could this be for real? "Areana." Julie had to get in contact with the Phoenix, it was the only source of sensor data that would be available. This was true because Julie had spent the last few seconds on the way in making last minute repairs to the cyborgs. "Do you have any sensor data from before we came over the horizon from the base?"

"I should, but the computer's on the fritz. All of the antimatter that has been on this ship lately has left a very severe radiation mark. I'm just about to be forced into an EV suit because of it. I'll send what I can though."

"This can't be for real! Jet, go back and tell the other cyborgs to stand down and go help the General."

"But I thought that destroying Black Ghost was our type priority?"

"Don't worry about it, I am going to take care of everything."

Reluctantly, Jet turned around and went back. Julie began to wonder if maybe this couldn't be a trap. If it was, she was falling for it. The only thing that proved that the message had come from Jedi had been how it had been received, via his nanobots. She hadn't wanted to get rid of them, since it only took a little work to upgrade them to her standards. Who was she supposed to believe? Her mind, which told her to destroy the person flying in front of her? Or her heart, which told her differently?

She had to make a decision soon, but which one?

* * *

Herald of light: Well, as the title says, the story is nearing it's end. I plan on ending it next week, hopefully posting the last chapters on Wednesday... I won't give any hints on what it's going to be like, that would be just down right cheating :D Besides, I am still trying to find a way to end our heros, er, story, yeah that's the right word.....Looks around bashfully Anyway until next time, stay on the edge of your seats!


	28. Doomsday's End Part 2

Chapter 27: Doomsday's End Part 2

"AHHHHH! The pain....it hurts...so much." In front of the 00 cyborgs appeared the now battered body of Black Ghost. Parts of the distinguishing outfit had been torn of in the attack. Part of the facemask, mainly on the right side of the face extending from mid-cheek to the ear, had also been destroyed.

"Didn't Julie just say that she was taking care of Black Ghost?" Albert turned to Jet with a questioning look.

"Yeah, she said not to worry about Black Ghost, and that I should get back here." Jet caught himself. "She must have known that this was going to happen, but then who were we chasing then?"

"It had to have been the only person that we have yet to see. It had to have been Jedi!!!"

* * *

Banking left, Jedi tried to head back to the battlefield. But Julie was in the way!

"How do I know that you are really there? That this isn't a trap, and you are the bait. For all I know, you fell to the control of Black Ghost."

"I can't completely prove that. I can only ask that you trust in me." Jedi was desperate. The Dark Afterimage should be wearing off any second now, but if Julie wanted to, Jedi could be dead long before then.

"That isn't enough! I have a duty to destroy evil, and right now, you are the embodiment of that evil until you can prove that you aren't!"

"FINE!! You know as well as I that I have a deep love of liberty and freedom. The very ideas that created my home nation! If you believe that by destroying me that you will protect them, then so be it." Jedi lowered his head as though the attack would come at any second.

"I...I'm sorry." Julie backed away from him. "We need to get going back to the cyborgs, that is, if you would forgive me for mistaking you for that slime."

"Of course. Listen, Julie, how about after all of this is over we go find a quiet place somewhere and...." Jedi moved forward and took her hands in his. He had never been this close to her. Well, not that he could remember anyway. Never before had he wanted to kiss a girl, but now just felt right. He leaned forward and brought his hand behind Julie's neck.

"Jedi! Julie! We need you NOW!!! Black Ghost is thrashing the cyborgs, they can't hold him off much longer!" Areana's voice rang into their ears. This wasn't the time for romance, he had a job to do. And now he had someone by his side.

"Better get going, got a world to save." Jedi looked calmly over to Julie.

"Right, let's go!" Julie was blushing, but still managed to turn around and start her way back to the battlefield.

* * *

"JOE! Look out!" Françoise tried to warn her husband about the accelerated figure behind him. Black Ghost was still more powerful than all of their powers combined. There was nothing left for them to do, unless the two androids came and saved them soon, there would be no tomorrow. Today would be doomsday.

Chang, Ivan, and Albert had been destroyed. Black Ghost had snuck up behind them and blown them to bits with some sphere device. Jet's legs had malfunctioned, and he was now stuck up on a cliff. She herself had sustained major damage when she had tried to rescue Ivan, she hadn't gotten there fast enough though. His lost was the most painful of all, or a close second, if Joe was destroyed before her. Ivan had been under her care for as long as she could remember. He felt like a son to her. This was especially true since Dr. Gilmore died back in 2014.

"Need some help?" Out of nowhere came three blasts of energy. Each one hit Black Ghost and distracted him long enough for Joe to get out of the way. "How 'bout you cyborgs let us handle this. Well, that is I'd like Albert to stay behind if he is still around."

"What do you need me for? I am but a lonely actor, stuck in a battle between the angels and the demons of the stage!" GB's voice came from nowhere, but when you had the ability to look like anything, and were in a rocky area, you became a rock.

"I have a special acting job that only you can do."

"Oh? Is there a special commission involved?" GB pressed his belly button and turned into his normal self. He had been right beside Jet the whole time.

"YOU CHICKEN! You were hiding while the rest of us were being blasted!" Jet groggily lifted his arm to smack the actor up, but failed to do so.

"Well I must preserve my physique you know. So...Jedi. What's the part that you have in mind?"

"Oh, it's a very special part. One night showing. You will play the sidekick to a dashing superhero and the equally, if not more beautiful super heroine."

"Just your luck, doesn't look like I am doing anything else, so I'll do it!"

"And who am I, chopped liver?" Black Ghost appeared in the air above Jedi.

"No, I was thinking the lead villain. Or I was until you butted in. Now I am thinking that all you are good for is target practice." Jedi took aim with his left arm. "What do you think, Julie?"

"Sounds good to me. Betcha' that I can get a higher score than you!"

"I doubt that!" Jedi started firing.

"Think that pea-shooter will do any good against me?" Through his one visible eye, the Evil One looked on. "You've shown many new tricks that I would have thought impossible. You have turned into quite the little weapon. If only you hadn't been misaimed and made it to the Dortde home world with me. With you by my side, we could have ruled the universe by now! Oh well, I suppose that you aren't the only old dog that hasn't learned a few new tricks. Let me show you one of them." Around Black Ghost appeared a bubble of light, it began to expand. Soon it engulfed GB and Julie. Jedi was able only by some unknown grace to dodge the bubble.

"Think a bubble is going to destroy me?"

"No, but it will make things a bit more in my favor. 007 merge with me!" The bubble disappeared, and inside, Julie was unconscious! She was floating right beside Black Ghost. HE WAS GOING TO PULL THE SAME TRICK AS THE CYBORGS HAD BACK ON THE LEAD SHIP!

"BETH, go to hyperactive flight!" Jedi flew forward, and pushed Julie out of the way. The puddle that was Great Britain was now forming a bubble around him and Black Ghost. "I'm sorry GB, I only wish that my original plan had worked. Julie, I think that you will have to find that spot on your own. BETH, initiate!"

---5 seconds until Self-Destruct---

"NO!!! IT CAN'T BE! I WILL NOT BE DESTROYED!"

---4---

"I finally can rest in peace." The soul of Jedi Rilet sighed deep within Black Ghost

---3---

"Jedi.......no." Julie's eyes flickered.

---2---

"JEDI! STOP THIS NOW! SURELY THERE IS ANOTHER WAY!" General Redding turned to his command. "EVERYONE INTO THE BUNKER!"

---1---

"Thanks for the last bow, Jedi." GB was barely able to mutter anything through Black Ghost's control on him, it came out as a whisper. "At least I will leave the stage with a bang..."

---0---


	29. Epilogue

Herald of light: Well, this is it. I hope you have enjoyed this story. I have to take some time now for some of my schoolwork, but I will try to get back to writing as soon as I can. Don't worry, I shall return! Enjoy the ending everyone! :-D

* * *

Epilogue

Date: July 4, 2055

"Ladies and Gentlemen. I am speaking to you today from the spot where the final battle for Earth has occurred. I am sad to say that the people that were instrumental in our salvation," the President turned to the stage behind him. "have informed me that they were not the one's who struck the final blow. The one that did, was a clone of the great Jedi Rilet, who had been turned into an android over the last fifty years. I know that the story is almost too much to handle, but when you hear what sacrifices were made, and by whom, I think that we will all agree that we should put aside our differences, and work together." The President looked forward and started to tell the story of the epic battle that had taken place just days before.

Behind him sat the remaining members of the cyborg team. Julie stood behind Jet's wheelchair. It was unlikely that he would ever walk again. There had been talk that maybe they could have made somekind of lower torso based on her android type parts, but he had shot that down. "I was already pretty much a machine when I lost them, I don't want to lose any more of my humanity. Besides, now that the crisis is over, I think that I will try to help by going into politics."

Joe and Françoise were still aloof. They, along with Julie, still couldn't get used to the idea that Jedi was gone. It had been only a few weeks ago that he had been found, and now, he was gone.

"One moment, please." The President leaned over to hear what one of the agents was trying to tell him. "Ladies and Gentlemen I have great news! We have recovered the remains of Jedi! According to the survey team's first report, he is repairable! This news brings me to tears. At least now with Black Ghost finally destroyed, the Dortde are able to control their own destiny. They have promised to help us. We have also formed an alliance with them. I have talked with their lead commander, and they have extended full cooperation in our rescue and recovery operations. Sadly though, the numbers tell us that this Fourth of July is to be a sad one. Last month, we had nearly 15.34 billion people on the Earth. Latest reports put that number now down to just under one billion. We have taken heavy losses in all parts of the world. With the force fields that were holding us back from connecting with these other groups shutdown, we are now able to begin the healing." He stepped back. "Do any of you wish to say anything? The entire world is listening."

"I am the only one that knew Jedi enough to be called a close friend. I only wish to say that I hope that you will put down your arms against each other, and that you will not let his sacrifice go in vain. True he may be repaired, but he will never be the same person that I know, or love." A tear formed at the base of her eye. "He loved life so much that he was willing to give his own so that others may live. I know this, not just because of his actions a few days ago, but also of his actions fifty years ago back when our school was taken over by terrorists. I don't know if many remember that ever happened, but let me tell you this, Jedi wasn't one to be afraid. He not only protected me from three men who were about to things that I don't even want to begin to imagine, he saved our classmates from them all. Four hundred students were protected by his sacrifice that day. I know that I won't ever let that fact leave my mind." A lone soldier moved forward, in his hands was the head of Jedi.

"Ma'am I thought that we should bring you this, we have the rest of what we recovered in a truck a couple of feet from here."

He looked so peaceful, with his eyes closed. It was just like if he were sleeping. A sleeping beauty, just waiting for a kiss.

"I'm sorry, but Jedi's repairs are going to have to wait, we have problems all over the world. If only there were more trained people in the world than there are, we could do more sooner."

"Don't worry, I think that we are due for a vacation." Joe stood up and walked over to the soldier. "Some of us more than others." He took the head from the soldier.

"The second time that I have lost my son..." General Redding was a mess. This was understandable, since he and the base personnel had been dug out only a couple of hours before, but that was not all. Redding was bawling.

-------------

---Emergency Reserve Battery Power restored. Starting basic sensors---

"Hhh...Hhe....Hey.. Why the....glllumm ffacess?" Jedi was trying to speak, but his voice synthesizer had been severely damaged, along with just about everything else.

"What!? Your...alive?" The President of the newly formed Earth Remnant Protectorate couldn't believe his eyes. This kid was indestructible!

"Yyyyeepppp. Jjjusstt bbuiltt wweellll."

"Hey, cowboy. Someone should really teach you a lesson for that stunt you pulled." Julie smacked Jedi.

"Okkkayyy! I dddeservvedd tthatt. Bbutt I seemmmmed to havvve misssplacced mmmy bodddy, annyonne? "

"Just shut up and kiss me." Julie said suppressing a chuckle.

* * *

So it came to pass that the world was back to it's old self. The people now worked together. Black Ghost's ultimate goal of making mankind extinct had failed. The human race was now not only on the verge of flourishing, but it now had a friend in space.

The Dortde had felt extreme regret at what they had done, even if they had been under Black Ghost's control. They knew that they could never fully repay the losses that they had reeked on the citizens of the small, rocky planet. So they offered an alliance. The Dortde would help in anyway they could, and when the humans were back on their feet, they would become the closest of friends, protecting each other's back, and scratching it when the other had an itch.

For many years, it looked like life would become humdrum for the two races. But one day, a small vessel arrived just inside the asteroid belt of the little blue planet's system. When the ship came within visual range of the moon, it did something weird.

It sent a message to the inhabitants of the Earth and Moon.


End file.
